Hungry like the Wolf
by Dragon Palladin
Summary: On her way to the well one winter day, Kagome was kidnapped and bitten by a werewolf! Not to mention that she is at Sesshomaru's mercy! Can she find a cure, stop Naraku, find love, complete the Shikon no Tama and still be home for Xmas? SessKag
1. Winter Nightmare

**Chapter 1: Winter Nightmare**

Sesshomaru fell into the river, breaking through the thin ice, plunging deep into the frozen water. He tried to breathe air but only ice-cold water entered his lungs and numbed his body as he fought to swim to the surface. His blood felt like ice that painfully rushed through his veins as water swirled around him as if dragging him down and he felt himself being pulled deeper and deeper, being surrounded by the growing cold and darkness. After what seemed like hours, he finally was too weak to fight; he closed his golden eyes and relaxed his weary body and just meekly accepted his inevitable fate…to drown in the river of ice and darkness and to be forgotten. He opened them once again so that his golden orbs would merely glance at what his fate looked like; his last memory before proceeding to be dragged to the afterlife.

That's when he saw it.

A water creature of some sort plunged into the water after him, slicing through the water with clean and natural strokes. He tried to see its face but failed miserably as his lungs burned for life giving air and he could no longer really remain conscious, it be came just a black blur on the light reflecting off the ice and water above them. Somehow, between drifting from consciousness to actually dying, he knew that its hand was reaching for his… trying grasp it… to save what little life was left to him. He closed his eyes and was swallowed by darkness as he feels its hand touch his. It was already too late…

Sesshomaru's eyes flew open as he shot up in bed; sweat beaded on his fore head and his breath came in short, labored gasps as his bed sheets clung to his damp body. He ran his clawed hand through his long, silver hair, trying to regain his composure and to rid himself of his pounding headache. He used his thumb and finger to slowly massage his temples as a small figure moved beside him in the huge bed and groaned slightly at his movements and lack of warmth.

Sesshomaru smiled, a tiny smile like the corner of his mouth barely curved, one of the few that rarely cross his otherwise placid features, as he climbed out of bed, wrapped more of the covers around the little girl, who was fast asleep, walked out onto the balcony and out into the cold air, which felt immediately refreshing to his flushed skin. He listened as his bare footsteps echoed in the room and down the hallway and felt the cold tiles underneath his feet. He leaned against the balcony railing as the night air raced across his body, sending shivers of pleasure up and down his spine as the breeze blew against the silk fabric of his pants. He really liked the cold.

He heard the child sigh in contentment as she once more fell into the land of dreams. She had come frantically running into his room, screaming something about nightmares (not doubt Jaken had been telling her horror stories again… No matter, he will pay in the morning), so he had allowed her to stay in his bed, shamefully bending to her whim as she pleaded mercilessly about needing him to protect her. She was still at that age when every little thing scared her and every big thing didn't. Sesshomaru suppressed a chuckle as he remembered the time he first saw Rin while recovering from a battle with his half brother and how he had growled furiously and raised a hand, claws extended, at the girl as she strayed upon his and she had barely flinched…and then fetched him food and water! It amazes him how she could be scared of the tiniest thing like a spider yet she befriended one of the most feared demons of Japan, who would most likely kill her with one swipe of his poisonous claws than tolerate her disgusting human presence.

It still surprises himself that he didn't. It must have been seeing all those bruises on her…how could he kill such a pure hearted girl that was beaten and rejected by her own kind? Humans are more like animals than he himself was. He would never hurt another demon's youth…unless they deserved it of course.

A sudden sharp pain in his head brought him out of his memories and thoughts back to his present issue. He had that damn dream again! He looked toward the full moon as it made the frozen river that ran the breath of his land sparkle like a stream of jewels amongst the white snow. The cold wind felt pleasantly chilly against the warm skin on his bare back that was covered in beads of sweat so that it made his skin crawl and soothed his aching head. As he said before, he loved the cold.

He leaned his head back, closing his golden eyes while allowing the winter breeze play with his silver hair as snow started to fall around him, relaxing before dragging its remains from the back of his mind. What did it mean? Why was he having it? What was that creature? Was this his fate?

So many unanswered questions…he hated it.

And though he pried the dream again and again, looking for answers to those damnable questions, it seemed to slowly disappear from his mind, as if he was grasping at wisps of smoke that had been so visible the moment before but were now almost all but vanished completely.

A wolf howl in the distance caught his attention as the wind carried it to his ears. He glanced over the horizon, his demon eyes barely spotting a flickering light... no doubt a fire. He growled, his upper lip lifting to show his fangs. No one stays on his land without his knowledge or permission.

He sniffed the wind and caught the scent of his cursed half brother. A glint of anger flashed through his golden eyes as he looked down in disgust at the stump that used to be his left arm. The wound had healed itself a long time ago but the end was covered in this twisted, deformed, scar like flesh, probably from interchanging different demon arms too often. He snarled as his eyes turned red for blood lust: his half brother's blood.

After several attempts to gain the Tetsusaiga had failed, he had decided to leave Inuyasha and his group of insolent "friends" alone for the time being so he could to see to his lands, for he had neglected to do that for a long time, and wait for Naraku to kill them, or some other demon who had that kind of time on his hands for he Sesshomaru did not. Days had turned into weeks and weeks into years. Four years to be exact. He sighed slightly, allowing his demonic blood to subside as he looked over the horizon at the fire, more amused now than angry, and allowed his claws to glow their poison green color. Maybe he should pay his dear brother a visit...

* * *

The bitter winter wind blew across Kagome's exposed skin, causing her to shiver as she silently gathered her things around the campsite and shove them into her yellow bag in the dying firelight. She barely dared to breathe as she quickly scribbled a note to her friends for fear of waking the dosing Inuyasha, and set off into the night, the moonlight glittering off the snow as her guide as she made her way through the dead forest covered in ice, the snow deadening the sound of her foot steps as she made her escape.

When she felt she was out of the hanyou's hearing range, she let out a relieved sigh before squaring her shoulders in a strong, almost determined stance as she trekked in the direction of the Bone Eater's Well…to her family, a warm bed, and relaxing, steamy bath.

A pang of remorse stabbed her heart as she reluctantly looked over her shoulder in the direction she had come from, her pace slowly only a little before continuing. Oh she hated to just leave her friends like that! It made her feel so guilty… leaving without saying good-bye. But if four years of traveling with Inuyasha has taught her one thing, it was that if she wanted to leave to go home PEACEFULLY she would have to sneak off. The last thing she wanted was to have another screaming match with him before going home to supply. She just prayed to God that Inuyasha didn't decide to follow her this time. She still remembered the damage from his last visit…

She covered her mouth to stifle the giggle that was rising in her throat as she recalled the events. _Good times…_

_Inuyasha…_ Her mind inevitably drifted to him and momentarily a deep sorrow, almost like a painful ache, filled her heart and a single warm tear rolled down her smooth face against her will. He was with Kikyo again last night…Kagome shamefully brushed away the offending droplet on her soft but numb cheek, causing the salty liquid to smug across her face and the wetness only added to the coldness. She loved him and she understands but it still hurt. She knew from the moment she met him, he would never truly love her: when he looked at her, he only saw the Kikyo he used to know and love but not her…not Kagome. She sighed again, momentarily emerging from her thoughts to look about as the snow began to drift slowly around her. She pulled her hand out of the cozy cocoon of her jacket pocket to catch one of the flakes in her palm, the chill of the little frozen water droplet sharp like a pin prick on her warm flesh.

She gazed at it, remembering how her mother had once told her while she was little that no snowflake was _exactly_ the same, though some may look alike. She bitterly brushed the flake off her hand before aggressively shoving it back into its pocket, absorbing as much of the warmth as it could. As much as she looked like the dead priestess, they were and always will be two different people just like two snowflakes. If only Inuyasha could see that! If only he could see her feeling for him and how he was causing her pain. Why does it have to be this way?

In her mind she remained silent, trying not to focus her thoughts of unrequited love and pain and clearly failing, till she realized that in the real world she had reached the meadow clearing that harbored the famous Bone Eaters Well, its snow blanket already becoming deeper and deeper and she heard the crunching of snow as her foot sank into the ground as her feet followed an invisible path hidden by snow that she had trod on too many times to forget where her feet should go.

She put her hands toward her face, trying to warm them with her breath as it came out in an icy fog before pocketing them once again. The wind bit through her jeans and clothes as if they weren't even there and it turned her nose and cheeks red. She pulled her beanie further down to cover her ears and more of her face and she wrapped her jacket closer around her, her fingers barely grazing the little bottle of jewel shards that hung from a silver chain around her neck underneath her thick jacket, its twisted metal warm from being so close to her covered skin. She pulled it out and watched as they glittered in the pale moonlight as it reflected off their sharp points and pinkish tint. But how the shards seemed to almost fill the tiny bottle, she guessed that they had acquired about half of the Shikon no Tama, still about half to go which could be in Naraku's treacherous hands.

So much bloodshed… so many lives… so many sacrifices for theses little pieces of the shattered Shikon no Tama; a gem that possesses the ability to enhance a demon's powers. Four years of fighting and danger for just a few mere pieces of the sacred jewel she now held in her grasp. Four years of her pain and heart break for only a little progress in her quest to collect them all. Depressing isn't it?

She was almost across the meadow and to the well when she sensed a demon fast approaching, its presence made suddenly aware as she felt its demonic aura, angry tinted with blood lust. She looked around cautiously as she grabbed her bow that hung ready for use on her shoulder. She slowly began to reach for an arrow among the many stowed away in her quiver on her back but before she could even touch one, she was swept off her feet into the arms of a animal-like demon, taking her far away and leaving only her footsteps by the well which would soon be covered by snow…

* * *

Rin peeked from under the covers as she saw her Sesshy-sama leave the comfort of the bed to walk out the glass doors that lead out to the balcony to stare out at the horizon, letting the cold air from the open doors blow into the room like an icy shadow. She closed her eyes in annoyance and wiggled her little body further into the soft covers and welcomed their warmth. She was nearly was asleep when she heard him growl and sleepily glanced over to see him grab his robes and leave so quickly that at first she was not sure she saw him.

She sat up in bed, fully awake and a puzzled look crossing her innocent features.

Where is Sesshy-sama going?

She ran through the still open doors and to the balcony, using the railing to stop her momentum as she leaned over to see him leave at an incredible speed upon his fluffy cloud, disappearing quickly into the night sky. She pouted momentarily and ran to grab her own winter things lying on a chair nearby. Why was he so upset? Why was he leaving her without even an order for her to stay put? Something's wrong! She could feel it. She struggled to get into the thick over coat as she stumbled over to the balcony once again. She looked to see a light in the distance, knowing full well it was a fire. Was he going there? Is it some awful demon? What if Sesshy-sama got hurt? Who then will take care of him?

When she had on her jacket, she crept from the room with her boots in her hands as she silently dashed down the stairs and through the grand hallways, trying not to wake Jaken or the other youkai servants as she headed towards one of the many other exits from the castle hold besides the main one. She was 10 but not stupid. If she went out that way, she would be caught by the soldiers on guard.

She slid out the door that lead out to the gardens, flowers alive and warm in the winter surrounded for it was by a sheen window glass dome and torches kept the vast chamber in a warm glow during the cold months. She skirted the huge hot spring they used to bath in the middle of the gardens, not bothering to admire the daisies, her favorite flower, as she glanced out of the ice covered glass door that lead out into the courtyard.

She shoved on her boots and as soon as the guard turned his head as another guard yelled out to him, conveniently looking as though they are changing shifts, she crept and bolted toward the door that was on the wall, a secret door that the castle residents used to flee the castle if it were under attack from the front or back. As soon as her child instincts deemed it safe, she sprinted out into the winter snow, clinging to her legs and boots in it attempt to slow her down as she ran as fast as her legs and the wind would carry her in the direction of a little white dot that the moon reflected, guiding her to her protector like the North star.

* * *

Sesshomaru was on his way flying on his white cloud, his hair and tail blowing out behind him as he forced it to go even faster over his icy forest to the single glow in the distance that served as a beacon to the fire where his brother was when another scent invaded his senses.

His curiosity getting the best of him, he allowed his cloud to slow its pace so that it merely hovered over the forest of dead and snow covered trees as he smelt the wind, the new scent coming from the east of his destination. This scent was from a living creature, for it had the smell of fear and anger mixed with it, truly only human emotions. It smelled like… well he wasn't sure. He supposed like white roses covered in dew on a spring morning… much more pleasant then most humans he had encountered…interesting really. He sniffed again, the tug of familiarity pulling at his mind.

He could have sworn he smelled that scent somewhere before but where could he have possibly…!

He mentally slapped himself. That's the scent of Inuyasha's wench! _Now why would she have left my brother's side? _He thought to himself as he sniffed the breeze once again and another scent was brought to him, mixed in with the girl's, one of wolf and human. He raised an eyebrow in surprise._ Inuyasha's wench? Kidnapped by a werewolf?_ He very calmly and causally glanced down toward the forest below him, searching for his loathsome brother. Seeing that all below him was motionless and silent, Sesshomaru slowly covered his mouth with his hand, trying so hard not to laugh. _Oh how amusing! Inuyasha's precious human had been taken by a werewolf in the dead of night and Inuyasha has no idea! Otherwise he would be tearing the forest apart!_ After the urge to laugh and mock his brother's stupidity had pasted, he spat hatefully in the direction where the campfire flickered.

_Baka! Half-breed! Filthy human-lover! Can't even keep track of his own wench… _

"Let me go! You're hurting me!" screamed a frightened feminine voice through the snow and wind, followed by an angry howl of pain, far in the distance in the opposite direction of his current prey: Inuyasha.

He paused for a moment before continuing on his way, weighing his options. Being the intelligent and tactful demon lord he was, he always analyzed every detail in situations like this to see if he could swing the tables into his favor.

He could just mind his own business, barge in on Inuyasha's camp and take great pleasure in feeling the Hanyou's blood on his claws while the girl suffered her fate at the hands of the werewolf, however there was the ever so slight chance that Inuyasha and his friends _could_ defeat him. While he hated to admit it, Inuyasha has won, or at least stalemated, a very few of the skirmishes that they had fought in but the fact still remained that every time they battled, whether he himself won the battles or not, he was forced to leave without the precious Tetsusaiga. This has been a constant problem for he himself had been unable to wield the sword due to the fact he not only hated but _despised_ the humans. He knew it was not that he was full demon as one of the theories stated for was his father not full demon and was able to wield it? It must have something to do with the fact that they both cared for and protected humans. Sesshomaru shuddered at the thought. As if he would ever care about a human enough to protect them! (Perhaps with Rin as the exception.)

However, Inuyasha being able to wield it and wield it effectively was becoming a thorn in his side. If he couldn't wield the damn thing himself, he at least wanted it out of that bastard's hands. And Inuyasha surprisingly has been able to hold on to it for this long but Sesshomaru knew he would need something as leverage to get what he desired from his stubborn half brother. He looked back in the direction where he could smell the human's scent getting weaker and weaker as she was dragged further away from him. This girl may have presented Sesshomaru with just the edge he needed to pry the great sword out of the half breed's claws.

Inuyasha placed value on this human…that was proven as he risked life and limb to protect her in battles and such. It was obvious that Inuyasha, being a hanyou, harbored some sort of feelings toward this disgusting female…what was it called again? Love?

Yes, it was apparent his half brother loved this human in one fashion or another. The trait for his preference for human women must come from their father and it had been his father's downfall, risking his life to save Inuyasha's human mother, and had almost once been Inuyasha's own downfall when he had fallen for that priestess 50 years ago and she had killed him, for a time anyway, before killing herself. If Sesshomaru remembered correctly, the wench that was currently being taken by the werewolf had been the one who had freed him from the enchantment. Inuyasha was willing to do about anything for her…

Finally, making his decision, he changed his course toward the scents and the screams, the snowflakes dancing around him. _So dear brother… would you be willing to trade your wench for your sword?_

* * *

"Let me go!" Kagome screamed shrilly as she pounded on the huge demon's chest. Little good it did her as it just increased its speed and tightened its grip on her, its claws digging into her sides painfully causing blood to stain the cloth of her clothes. Her blood…

"You're hurting me!" she yelled as she tried to pry its claws open. It growled at her with its slited golden eyes as it used its canine-like legs to jump from tree to tree at an incredible pace. Breathless, Kagome momentary stopped her struggling to glare at her captor, who appeared to be half man, half wolf. Its basic body structure had once been man but now its back was doubled over in an animal-like fashion, as if so it could use its front arms as another set of legs, a lot like a wolf's. It, of course, was also covered in thick black fur that moved when his firm muscles rippled underneath its skin. Instead of a human face, it had a wolf's snout and head with a thick black mane and ears on top almost hidden in the fur as they were pressed flat against his head. Its eyes were a golden color with a red tint, obviously giving off the image of blood lust as it growled at her, with hinges high so that all its teeth became very visible for intimidation.

_Well,_ Kagome thought bitterly to herself as she glared at the demon, _if it was intimidation he was looking for, he had another thing coming!_ _I've been dealing with demons too long to be scared that easily anymore!_ She looked up into the sky and the full moon seemed to mock her as it confirmed her suspicion.

_Great. I've been kidnapped by a werewolf. Just my night._ She thought sarcastically as she grabbed a double handful of neck fur and yanked. The wolf howled angrily but it wouldn't release its grip so she bit the hairy clawed hand that secured her to his side…hard. It yelped in pain as it threw her to the ground, sending her sprawling in snow as it landed and began to carefully lick the wound, blood spattering on the snow. She spat the fur and blood out of her mouth but the bitter taste still lingered as she rolled to the side, avoiding the dangerously sharp claws as it angrily slashed at her unprotected torso. It growled furiously as she scrambled to her feet and started to run, disappearing into snow and trees. Her backpack bounced uncomfortably, weighing her down and causing her to, inevitably, slow down and to get tired fast. She tried to reach back for her bow, which she had replaced around her shoulders during her "ride", but before she could free it from her person, she saw the wolf pounce out of the trees, baring its fangs and claws at her back.

She ducked just as it was upon her and it buried its claws into her backpack, its momentum causing them to fall and start to roll down the white hill, banging rocks and tree limbs all the way down. When they finally reached the bottom of the surprisingly steep slope, Kagome's body cried out in pain as she rolled off the wounded werewolf, tugging her arms out of the bags straps as the wolf still clung to it, as if it could prevent her from escaping his grasp. She stumbled as she tried to get away as it threw her bag against a tree and glared at her with eyes full of hunger and hate. She turned to face him, afraid and wary of his next attack, and started to slowly walk backwards with her eyes on the creature when she felt the ground under her boots end and glanced behind her shoulder to see she was at the brink of a huge chasm where she couldn't even see the bottom. She reached to unshoulder her bow and grab an arrow from her quiver only to realize with shock that they must have fallen off during her tumble down the unforgiving hill. She quickly refocused her attention on the pacing animal in front of her, trying to fight the knot of fear settling itself in her stomach.

When she was armed, she was confident and more secure but now that her weapon was lost, she could now effectively panic. She was now unarmed and no one knows she is gone because she got the bright idea to sneak out into the middle of the night like a dumb ass without at least being escorted by one of them.

This, of course, was not good. _If only Inuyasha were here. _She thought miserably. If only he would bounce in and kill this damn thing then she will kiss him and promise never to sneak off in the middle of the night again!She silently prayed for a miracle.

She also gulped as the wolf readied his legs to spring, to jump for the kill…

* * *

Rin followed the fast little cloud as far as she could until it was far out of sight, only a white dot that soon disappeared through the darkness and snow. She stopped to catch her breath and became more worried as the winds around her increased, causing her to shiver even though she was wrapped in many bundles of clothes. She scanned the night sky wildly in search for the figure she knew was not there. He must have changed directions somewhere. Where could he be? She looked around for landmarks or some type of sign to let her know where she was but it all looked the same in the snow and the trees. Where was she? Was she…lost? Warm tears began to run down her ran her rosy cheeks and fall into the snow around her as she continued running in the direction she saw him going last…

* * *

Sesshomaru landed on the ground where he smelled the wench's scent the strongest, his boots crunching the snow as his cloud dissipated. As he scanned the surrounding area, he saw signs of struggle and pools of blood, leading down a snowy slope near the chasm. He ran quickly. He could almost feel Tetsusaiga in his hand, gripped firmly between his fingers, humming with power…or at least out of Inuyasha's hands. Both made him feel good at this point. Perhaps he would one day bypass all that "love the humans" bullshit and find another way to wield it…and perhaps kill some humans in the process. His features remained grim but inside he chuckled. Won't be long now… 


	2. Can I Keep Her?

**Chapter 2: Can I keep her?**

Rin ran as fast as she could, her breath coming out short and like little fogs that soon disappeared in the freezing air. Snow swirled and whipped all around her as the trees parted to reveal a wide chasm. The other edge was far beyond her jumping range, her being only 10 and it being about 20 feet across, but her brown eyes found another scene. She saw a woman with raven hair backed up by the cliff's edge and in front of her was a huge, ugly wolf that looked about to spring on her and the outcome was more than terrifying. Suddenly, her mind was filled with awful memories…the village…the wolves…the pain…the drifting between life and death… Her own natural enemy and greatest fear, the wolf, was standing in front of her, the only kind of creature she ever feared and hated because of what it had once done to her. She had once been _killed_ by wolves. All the horror and fear she felt then, she felt now as if her painful past were reacting itself and she was reliving the tragedy of her own death. She screamed, trying to push those horrible memories aside and trying to escape the wolf-like form only on the other side of the chasm but her legs only bucked with fear and weakness, bringing her to her knees and suddenly the wolf's attention was on her…the easier prey.

* * *

Kagome watched as the wolf bounced into the air and took a defense stance that Sango had taught her, ready to fight to her dying breath. That's when she heard it… a little girl's scream. She watched as the werewolf's attention and direction changed as it shot toward the smaller girl, who looked too frightened to move as she pulled at her hair and clawed at her temples as if trying to relieve herself of some awful pain.

Kagome didn't stop to think…she acted. Just as the wolf was soaring over the cliff, she jumped right after it and latched onto its back. Her added weight made it impossible to reach the other side and they fell downwards in a free fall, the mouth of the chasm like a smirking gin as it swallowed them whole. The werewolf tried desperately to free itself from her grip but she held on tight to its neck so that it was wheezing for breath from the pressure, determined to save the little soul that waited at the top.

She heard the running water of a river and knew that this was the end and briefly savored the thought that at least she was taking someone down with her. The werewolf struggled to turn around in her grasp, considering how weak she was to it, and it bit deeply into her slender shoulder in the tender flesh that was the muscle that connected her neck with her shoulder and she felt warm blood ooze down from the painful wound. She cried out in pain and just as the icy cold water and the darkness of unconscious threatened to claim her, she heard the wolf cry out in anger and pain as a strong warm arm gripped itself around her slender waist.

She felt herself being lifted into the air and out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the fingers that held her close to the warm body of her rescuer had claws and a strand of silver hair blew in the wind by her.

_Inuyasha,_ she thought tiredly as she lost herself in her consciousness, feeling incredibly safe.

* * *

Sesshomaru flew out of the canyon, landing gracefully on his feet in front of the frightened child. He looked down at the unconscious miko he was holding and stared at her with disgust. _Weak human… _

He set her gently against the tree with all her things, (at least he THINKS it's her things… it smells like her but he never saw anything like that yellow bag...) and he began to paw through it till he found and pulled out a shirt, using his claws to slice it into strips in which he used to make a makeshift bandage for the bite wound she had received on her neck. He bent down and tightly tied it over her exposed flesh and clothes, making sure it had enough pressure before standing up and admiring his handy work.

_That will stop the blood flow for now. I'll have to patch it up better later_. He knew that Inuyasha wouldn't like the wench wounded but considering that had been beyond his control, he could at least show he made an attempt to heal her wounds. He heard the girl behind him whimper and this brought him to his next human-related problem. He turned and walked over to Rin and looked down at his "pup" with a hard-but-not-to-harsh look on his face.

"Rin…why are you here?" he asked calmly but firmly, his anger rising. She knew better than to leave his house without his permission or knowledge. Rin, shaking with unshed tears and fear, ran to her foster father and hugged his legs tightly, making it hard for him to stand properly as she sobbed into the fabric of his pants.

"Oh Sesshy-sama! I saw you leave suddenly and I knew something was wrong and I thought it was a demon and then I was so worried about you getting hurt again so I snuck out and I followed to take care of you but you flew too fast so I became lost and cold and came to this big hole by accident and then the…the…" She stumbled momentarily in her rambling as she fought with her tongue to say the loathsome word. "The…wolf tried to attack me but it didn't because the Pretty Lady jumped on him to stop him and got hurt and they fell into the big hole and…" She looked at him with huge brown eyes full of tears and fear, "Sesshy-sama! I was so scared!" and she buried her face further into his clothes, her warm tears soaking his pants.

His anger dissipated seeing the adorable child in such stress. She was only a pup after all…and was worried about him…and he hated CRYING! The smell of salt, the noisy sobbing, the wet tears, IT DROVE HIM NUTS! Not to mention that crying was a sign of weakness. If she wasn't a girl child, he would have slapped her for showing such fatigue. Even worse, he hated the effect it had on him when she cried. He would do anything for her if she would just STOP! He kneeled, causing her to release his leg, to comfort the sobbing child. "I didn't mean to scare you…"

Rin looked up at him, eyes still full of tears, "Sesshy-sama forgives Rin?" she asked softly, almost unbelieving. He just nodded as his clawed hand wiped the tears still on her cheeks. "Just promise me one thing…never do this again."

Rin grinned and hugged him tightly. "THANK YOU SESSHY-SAMA! I PROMISE!" her voice was full of relief and gratitude as he felt her smile against his neck.

Sesshomaru smiled as she hugged him tight; only a little one that the child missed, like the one who did it was not used to smiling and didn't very often in his long life.

"What about the Pretty Lady?" She broke from the embrace and ran over to the big tree and looked at the bite mark on Kagome's shoulder as she sagged limply against the tree's trunk. "She's got hurt!" Rin exclaimed in horror as she looked up at Sesshomaru in distress once again and made her cute brown eyes wide and formed her little pink lips into a pout, creating an adorable "puppy pout". "Sesshy-sama? Can I keep the Pretty Lady? Pleeeeeeeeeeeease!"

He nearly laughed out loud but kept control of him self for the child waited pleadingly for an answer and would not appreciate being laughed at. He must really spoil her or something if she expected him to let her keep another human in his presence…unless he had other reasons anyway.

"For now…" he said placidly, looking into those laughing eyes that caused him so much trouble and headaches over the past four years. He'll play along with her for now; she does not need to know about his plan.

"HAPPY DAY!" she exclaimed, jumping in the air and hugging Sesshomaru again excitedly. Sesshomaru awkwardly hugged her back as her joy leaked into him like a plague. He knew that this girl shouldn't be with him; that she only showed the neighbor demons that he was weak and had a soft spot for her but when he tried to drop her off into some village that would foster her, he couldn't do it.

She had helped him in his time of need (though he didn't _really _need it but it was the gesture that counted) and then burrowed past the ice barrier he had around his heart and she seemed to grow in his presence. Where she had been a miserable human child unable to speak after her parents' deaths, she became the talkative, lively girl she was today; the one he now held in his grasp, who snuck past inattentive demon guards (he will have to correct _that_ little problem when he returned) to loyally follow him anywhere whether it was a danger to herself or no.

He supposed he thought at first that she was entertaining, like an unknown creature he wanted to study. But as time went by he began to find that she filled his life with amusement and a vague happiness, helping the time fly by in his long life. Deep in his heart, he knew that she was a human; that her life was only temporary like a sweet flower; that it would blossom and bloom and then wither and die. He knew that she was not eternal like he was; that the passing of time would wear her down and cause her to fade away while he would remain the same, resistant to time's constant flow.

He held his little flower close to him. To her, he was her father and he regretfully, and after much denial, felt that she was his daughter. However he was gone from time to time, sometimes taking her with him and sometimes leaving her in Jaken's care. He knew that behind the smile and laughing eyes, there was a loneliness; a gap in her heart that he would not, could not replace.

_She really needs a mother…_

At first the thought surprised Sesshomaru but after he pondered the thought, remembering how protective the wench was of a certain little fox demon doing their little "meetings", he then realized that the wench might give his little pup the female companionship she needs, if only for a short time. Perhaps he should keep her around for a little bit longer than he had planned…

"Sesshy-sama! I want to go home! Pretty Lady is getting cold!" she whined impatiently as she wiggled out of his grasp and stood by Kagome again, tapping her foot to suggest that he needed to move immediately. Sesshomaru looked behind his shoulder toward his ward and the wench and saw that indeed the wench was shivering and moaning in her sleep.

He picked her up as carefully as he could by wrapping his tail around her, starting from her knees to underneath her shoulders and pressing her to his chest so he didn't cause her much pain and she wouldn't remain cold, as little Rin grabbed her bag and bow and the cloud formed at their feet. He was slightly surprised to see the wench snuggle up to his chest, seeking warmth and safety.

"Inuyasha…" she muttered in her trace, smiling in her sleep as she gripped the end of the tail with a hand and bring it to her cheek.

Sesshomaru nearly threw her back down the hole he just saved her from, disgusted, but refrained…barely.

To think that ANYONE would ever mistake the great demon lord of the Western Lands for his loathsome half brother! He glared angrily at her sleeping form.

_You will join your hanyou soon wench… after he gives me the Tetsusaiga!_

* * *

Kagome was falling… deep into the darkness of her mind. Memories flooded to her in an overwhelming wave…she saw her family…her first birthday…the first day she went to school…her 15th birthday…the day she fell into the well and meet the one person who could completely change her life and did…

"Inuyasha…" she whispered to her self in a husky version of her own voice as all their adventures ran through her mind like a river, its water continuously changing, telling different stories all at once…

The day she freed him…the day she shattered the jewel…the day he called her "Kagome" for the first time... the day they met Shippo… the day Kikyo was resurrected…the day he hugged her… the day they met Naraku…the battles for the jewel shards… her new found friends… the day Kikyo nearly took Inuyasha to Hell…ok _days_ Kikyo nearly took Inuyasha to Hell…

All the good and the bad memories rushed through her mind…causing her sadness, happiness, anger, and fright all at the same time.

Suddenly she saw the memory of Kikyo and Inuyasha…Kissing…the other night…other nights… and she felt her inner self cry out in pain. It made her so sad…and jealous… and angry? She was confused at this emotion. Sure she felt upset but was she truly mad at Kikyo or Inuyasha? Truly hated Kikyo's trickery or Inuyasha's idiocy and betrayal?

That's when she saw a black wolf as dark as night move out of the darkness and sit in front of her, looking knowingly at her with its eyes as silver as the silver crescent moon on her forehead.

Kagome lost her self in those eyes… silver eyes that seemed to know everything about her; her past, her present and probably even her future. Deep in those silver depths she could see her happiness, sorrow, anger and heartbreak as if this creature was merely an extension of herself, a self that desired to be strong and independent. An image of the full moon flash through her mind as the wolf's eyes turned red, blood thirsty, and jumped on Kagome, mouth biting into her neck as its claws racked at her flesh as her body pulsed with pain. Her wounded shoulder hurt as she fought back at her attacker but the attacks didn't stop…

* * *

Jaken put the human child to bed and waited outside the room that his master had brought the wench into and waited for his master's reappearance or call. He paced nervously. Oh Sesshomaru is going to have a Word with him about keeping a closer eye on the human child…and that usually involves a beating.

He winced at the thought and filled with hate for the child. After years of faithful service… to Sesshomaru and his father before him… and he is brutally cast a side for a mere human child! He clutched his little fist but let it relax in defeat.

Ok. Maybe Rin wasn't so bad. Despite all her troublemaking and such, she was a good child and did save his life once or twice but still! After four years of looking after that little brat and instead of getting bored and angry with the human child, Sesshomaru goes out and brings another human female into their lives… Inuyasha's wench no less! He could handle one human girl but two was unthinkable! Especially one who had been in Inuyasha's presence, tried to hurt his Lord on one occasion, and had beaten Jaken himself on _more_ than one occasion!

He glared at the oak door and prayed to the Gods that the wench's wound was fatal and she died tonight! He heard something smash and howl and became worried again and started pacing…

* * *

As Sesshomaru laid her limp form gently on the bed, Kagome's blood dripped through her bandages, leaving crimson drops on the silk sheets. Sesshomaru threw off her jacket and ripped open the shoulder of her shirt as to not harm her and unwrapped the wound. The makeshift bandages were completely drenched and she was losing a lot of blood.

_She is no use to me dead_… he thought in annoyance as he dipped a rag in hot water and examined the wound. It wasn't a deep wound but it seems to have hit an artery. She winced as he cleaned the wound, causing him to look at her chest and noticed specific… differences about her.

_She's certainly not the little girl I battled four years ago…_

Immediately he felt disgusted that he would ever look at a human girl like that. His hand reached for the jar of salve he had Jaken fetch before sending him to tend to Rin and he aggressively rubbed it into her wound, as if that thought was her fault. She squirmed under his powerful hands and moaned in pain. That was not helping to get his mind where it should be.

He was just starting to rewrap the bite when she started to howl in agony as her body convulsed, pain rushing through her every vein as she lashed out at an imaginary attacker. Sesshomaru jumped on her, trying to pin her down with his hands and body but she threw him off like a rag doll and he hit the far bedroom wall. He jumped to his feet, ready to slash her throat with his claws but realized that even though he was no longer near her, she still lashed out, claws forming where nails used to be as she struck the air and she threw her head back and yowled as he saw fangs growing in her open mouth and an upside down silver crescent moon glowed on her fore head.

He glared angrily as wind began to blow about the room knocking things down as her aura changed and she continued to howl and thrash as her body transformed, changing her human form. Her eyes flew open…glowing as red as blood. He growled dangerously.

_What was happening to her_? He was about to really slit her throat this time and end her, and his, misery when she suddenly stopped…no longer feeling pain, she slept peacefully as if nothing happened. He walked over to her and poked her side with a claw. She just moaned in her sleep and rolled over. He pondered this event and as he looked down at her, noticing that…certain parts of her appearance remained wolf like such as the crescent moon and the claws and fangs…

She looked incredibly weak.

He left the room, telling Jaken to make sure the mess was cleaned and went to his study to see if his father had any tomes on werewolves.


	3. The Compromise

**Chapter 3: The Compromise**

"Inuyasha! Calm down!" Miroku watched warily as the Inu hanyou paced impatiently back and forth in front of the Bone Eater's well, grumbling under his breath.

"She hasn't been back for a week!" he growled half to himself, half to Miroku, who was peacefully sitting in the snow far enough away so that if the already-on-edge half demon wanted to lash out at him, he would have time to react but close enough to prevent Inuyasha from trying to go down the well. Miroku sighed annoyed and tired. The hanyou had kept them up all night with his ranting and whining.

Miroku looked over at the already lightening sky and groaned as he realized that it would be dawn soon and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Even Sango had enough sense to excuse herself from their camp in front of the well to, no doubt, find a place far quieter and leave the tired monk to deal with the agitated hanyou.

Miroku coughed slightly to catch Inuyasha's attention and as soon as he had it, he once again held up a piece of paper over his head that whipped in the breeze. "For the millionth time and last time Inuyasha, her note said that she was going stay longer than usual." He stated as he brought it down to his eye level and looked at her scribbled handwriting, momentarily thinking. "I wonder if she had another one of those "tests" to study for…"

"Well I'm not going to wait all day for her to mess around in her time while we need more of the jewel shards now!" Inuyasha huffed as he stopped pacing and swung a leg over the edge of the well, ready to travel through time. "I'll be back in a minute…HEY!" he screamed in protest as Miroku tackled him from behind and dragged him from the well's rim. "WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA!" Inuyasha screamed as Miroku pulled him into a choker hold. Miroku held on to him with one arm and shoved the letter in Inuyasha's face. "READ!" he demanded.

Inuyasha glared at him and bared his fangs, ready to fight the stupid monk. "But she could be in trouble!" he yelled in the monk's face, waiting to be released. Miroku glared back at him with equal force, his own violet eyes glowing warningly, "She can take care of herself and if she does need help she WILL send for you so READ!"

Inuyasha angrily swiped the note from Miroku's hands and read through it:

_Dear Miroku,_

_I figured you would read this letter because you are usually one of the first ones up besides Inuyasha and he always over looks my letters even pinned to his nose. I am going home through the well again but I will be gone longer than expected so don't wait up! Tell Inuyasha that I'm not in trouble and that I'll be ok. I'll be back soon! I promise!_

_Love,_

_Kagome _

_P.S. Try to keep Inuyasha from coming through ok? My world's still recovering from the damage he did the last time!_

"What does she mean by 'my world's still recovering from the damage he did last time'?" He exclaimed as he threw the letter back in Miroku's face. "I didn't do nothing!"

Shippo popped out of nowhere and landed on his head, sitting Indian-style. "Oh yeah? Well what about the time you broke her alarm clock?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes in annoyance as he wiggled out of Miroku's hold, "Feh. Big deal…"

"And the time you ran in on her while she was taking a shower?" Shippo looked down at him accusingly from his perch.

Inuyasha blushed, "I didn't see anything!" he protested as he took a swipe at the fox, who nimbly dodged and landed on the ground in front of him. After years of battle, and traveling with Inuyasha, he had gotten very good at predicting attacks and dodging from enemy and ally. He also learned how to bring events back to haunt people too, one of Inuyasha's biggest pet peeves.

Miroku stared at the hanyou in a new light and Inuyasha fidgeted angrily under his accusing eyes. "I didn't know about that…" He mumbled as he leaned in closer to Inuyasha and whispered in his ear, "Now tell me the truth; what did you see and was it worth all the "sits" she gave you afterward?" Inuyasha turned and growled at Miroku's smirking face and punched him by his temple. "Damn Hentai!" he yelled as he turned his back away from the fallen monk, grumbling to himself, his face still flushed.

"And what about that time she was on a "date" with that one human? You nearly killed him!" Shippo cried hysterically, while pointing an accusing finger at the dog hanyou.

Miroku rose from his lying-down position, a lump visible on his head and paused in thought, "Now that I remember. I think his name was Hobo? Hoho? Something like that…"

"He touched MY Kagome!" Inuyasha screamed in his defense. It wasn't his fault that she forgot to come back on time and he came after her only to find that she was with some weak human boy…or that the boy gave her flowers and hugged her… Inuyasha huffed. He deserved what he had gotten. Inuyasha did wince though at the thought of all those "sits" she gave him.

"And what about that time you…" Shippo started to say but was quieted by a swift kick by an angry Inuyasha. Shippo had learned a lot about fighting but he couldn't escape everything unscathed!

"ENOUGH! I GET IT! Geez!" he ran across the clearing and jumped in a nearby tree to sulk with his back turned to his "traitorous" friends and wait for Kagome, looking anxiously around but he was soon deep in thought. Miroku leaned down to the little fox demon and whispered, "I think more than Kagome's delay is worrying our hanyou. Please go find our beautiful demon slayer while I talk to him…"

Shippo nodded knowingly and ran into the woods of dead trees and snow, calling Sango's name.

"Yin for your thoughts?" Miroku asked as he sat under the tree where Inuyasha was perched and the campfire burned brightly, giving Miroku warmth from the cold air as waited patiently for the hanyou to speak. After a long pause, Inuyasha finally did speak in a far away voice as if he was asleep.

"I'm just worried that she won't come back…" he sighed deeply and stared at the sun rising over the horizon, its magnificent color and light coloring the sky like a huge canvas waiting to be painted on. The color and light and warm spread far across the snow covered land, making it reflect the beautiful purples and pinks of the dawn.

"Why are you worried she won't come back?" Miroku asked patiently though he had a feeling why. He would just let the hanyou tell him. Inuyasha never appreciated being second guessed and it was even worse when the person guessing was right.

Inuyasha blushed a deep red, not daring to meet the monk's eyes as he stared at the horizon, "The night before the one she left… she saw… Kikyo… me… Kissing…."

Miroku sighed annoyed, filling in the blanks. _Not this again. Damn I hate it when I'm right…_ he thought but aloud he said in a calm tone, "Well she did look unusually mellow that day…"

Inuyasha's ears drooped in a defeated and worried gesture but Miroku ignored it as he continued.

"And she does hate it when you do that…numerous times…even after Kikyo's tried to kill you…numerous times…and aids Naraku in gathering the shard for himself…numerous times…" he knew he should stop while he was ahead but Miroku wanted to cause as much pain as he knew Inuyasha had caused Kagome…and make Inuyasha feel stupid and guilty. That was an added bonus!

Inuyasha's golden eyes glittered angrily at the monk as he hung upside-down from his perch, his silver mane touching the ground like a flowing white waterfall.

"Your point?" he muttered angrily as his eye bore daggers into Miroku's face.

Miroku closed his eyes annoyed, ignoring the "look of death" of Inuyasha's. "Only that…" he grabbed a handful Inuyasha's silver locks and yanked hard causing Inuyasha to cry out in pain and fall out of the tree and on his head. "That no matter how STUPID you are…" he pounded Inuyasha on the head with his staff to make the point. "No matter how MAD you make her…pound no matter how many times you HURT her by running into Kikyo's death awaiting arms… pound she always forgives you and returns does she not?" WHAM! That last one was more for himself than Kagome. Sometimes Inuyasha's stupidity just drove him up a wall!

Inuyasha rubbed his head and glared at the monk and making a fist, "Why I outta…" he raised his fist above his head, ready to bash Miroku into the ground like he would hammer a nail into a board.

"She does return does she not?" Miroku repeated, glaring back at him with equal force trying to let the point sink in but having his staff ready in case he needed to "defend" himself…with extra force if necessary. Right now he was liking the "extra force" part.

Inuyasha thought for a second then put down his fist and ears, again in a sign of defeat and guilt. "Well yeah but…"

Miroku put up a hand to silence him, almost sad that he wasn't going to argue further. "No buts. She WILL return as always." He said confidently before setting his staff down on the ground next to him.

Inuyasha sighed and leaned against the tree next to Miroku, "you're right…"

Miroku smirked. "Of course I'm right!" He looked around as he heard a twig snap to his left. "And here comes the beautiful Sango!" he said happily. He was wondering what was taking Shippo so long to fetch his gorgeous companion. After staring Inuyasha in the face for some time, her pretty face will be a sight for sore eyes! And his hand itched to brush soft, forbidden flesh on her person…

Sango calmly walked out bush with a frightened Shippo shaking in her arms and a tense Kirara on her slender shoulder. Inuyasha and Miroku jumped to their feet at the angry but helpless look on Sango's face and the tall, dark figure behind her. They gaped in complete surprise as the Lord of the Western Lands walked out of the shadows, icy façade set in serious, almost battle-like manner.

"Sesshomaru…" Miroku said when the shock wore off, scrambling to get up from the snow, tightening the grip on his staff and taking a defense stance while his hand fumbled in his purple robes for his sutras. Inuyasha too rose with unnatural speed and growled as drew the Tetsusaiga and both stood still, ready for battle and awaiting their enemy's first move. From the look on Sesshomaru's face and the glowing green claws, it didn't look as if he would object to a battle…

Again to their surprise, Sango moved between them and Sesshomaru with raised hands in a gesture to stop them, dropping Shippo in the process who scurried to get behind her in the snow.

"NO! DON'T HURT HIM! HE'LL KILL KAGOME!"

Inuyasha and Miroku froze, dumb-folded. Neither knew what to say nor did they wish to believe it as they both looked from Sango to Sesshomaru and back to Sango again.

Inuyasha was the first to snap out of their trance, "YOU LIE!" he shouted raising his sword once again, about to strike the great Lord of the Western Lands down.

Miroku nodded in agreement, "He's right. She's at home. She even left us this note." He reached into his robes and fished out the note, holding it about his head high like a banner, hoping it indeed was proof that she was at home.

Sango shook her head sadly, her brown eyes showing a seriousness it made Miroku's skin crawl. "He has her." She mumbled almost inaudibly, making Miroku strain to hear her. Inuyasha stared at her and looked at her closely, narrowing his eyes suspiciously, "What makes you so sure?" he demanded.

Sango slowly held up a white cloth that had blood on it, displaying it on her palm where her fingers had been previously wrapped over it. Inuyasha approached Sango, snatched the thing from her grasp, and sniffed the blood stained cloth, in haling deeply. It was Kagome's blood for sure. No one else had that special scent that made his heart pound. The one so similar to Kikyo's, he though as he went pale and glared at his half brother, who stood as if he was a cold emotionless statue.

"What have you done to her?" Inuyasha growled, flexing his claws. Sesshomaru ignored this but answered, "Nothing as of yet", as he looked over Inuyasha's head, as if the half-bred had no right to look straight into his royal eyes.

Inuyasha held up the cloth, eyes glowing with an internal fire of passion and anger. "THEN WHY IS HER BLOOD ON THIS CLOTH BASTARD!" he screamed, rushing Sesshomaru and shoving his face in front of the older demon's making sure to catch his attention and eye contact. He will deal with his half brother's superiority issues after he answered a few questions.

Sesshomaru smirked, revealing fangs as his eyes filled with amusement as he anticipated the group's reaction to this next bit of news. "That was not my fault but yours." Outwardly he let his smirk relax into its usual position but inside he was laughing at the group's astounded looks as he continued in a bored tone. "That night that she left to go to her home she was kidnapped by a werewolf."

Sango gasped as Shippo started to cry for his surrogate mother while the "men" looked absolutely shocked and confused. Sesshomaru inwardly smiled. He loved the looks on their faces; looks of pure agony and fear.

They must really care for the wench. He thought as he continued as if nothing happened. "Unfortunately before I arrived to save her pathetic soul, she was bitten and has been suffering from a fevered sleep from which she has not yet awaken from. I was hoping she would wake before I came to you but I grew impatient."

Miroku warily eyed him, trying to decipher whether Sesshomaru was lying or not. Finding no hint in the Lord's cold, protected gaze, he approached him and looked him square in the eye. "Is what you say true?" he demanded coldly.

Sesshomaru glared at the low human that dared approach him and question his morals and resisted the urge to slit his troublesome throat as simply answered "This Sesshomaru does not lie."

_The truth far more entertaining…_ he added to himself, surpressing a chuckle and a smirk that threatened to cross his placid features. He didn't know what it was about this people that made him want to laugh at them. Was it their obvious concern, weakness, or the down-right stupid looks they wore? He couldn't decide.

Miroku stared at him a little longer but finally sighed in defeat and stepped back and bowed his head gracefully. "There is no doubt that you wish for something for Kagome's safe return."

Sesshomaru inwardly stopped laughing. Well…maybe not all of them are completely stupid…after all Inuyasha himself probably had enough idiocy to make up for them all.

"I want the Tetsusaiga of course." Sesshomaru said as if stating a fact.

Miroku shook his head, confused. "Why do you want a sword you know you can't wield?" he asked, his human curiosity winning over judgment.

Sesshomaru glared down at the not-so-dumb human…monk? He guessed by the robes. Not that what the man was really made that much of a difference to him.

"If you must know, which I'm sure you think you do, I want that sword because I hope to overcome the…barrier around it and use it to my own ends and if I am unable to do that, then I at least want it out of this idiot's unworthy hands. That is my price for your "Kagome's" return." He said coldly as he held out his hand, ready to take hold of the sword that he longed to grasp in his claws.

Inuyasha stubbornly tightened his grip the worn hilt and glared. "HELL NO!"

Sesshomaru drew back his hand and shrugged in indifference. "Fine, have it your way." He lifted his hand as it started to glow a poison green and looked idly at it, as if bored once more. "I'll just slit her throat. She's asleep still. She won't feel a thing."

He paused, pretending to think as the green glow around his hand faded. "Or I could sell her to one of the demon lords. They would love to have a pretty thing like her around their castle." This time he smirked openly as he watched Inuyasha quiver with rage. "I wonder how much Naraku would be willing to pay for the girl that looks so much like the miko he desires along with that portion of the shikon jewel in her possession…"

THAT hit home…

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Inuyasha screamed as he jumped into the air and swung his sword wildly at the place Sesshomaru was standing.

"WIND SCAR!"

Power was released from the sword in a wave of light that destroyed everything it touched as it crashed toward Sesshomaru and into the ground, causing the ground to turn into a cloud of dust.

Inuyasha landed on the ground, sword raised, as he and everyone else waited. The smoke cleared and there was a giant crater with what looked like giant claw marks leading to the hole, Tetsusaiga's trade mark after usage. Miroku looked around anxiously, searching for the demon lord's body; "Did you get him?" he asked, seeing that Inuyasha and everyone was looking for the same thing.

That question was answered as Sesshomaru rushed up from the tree cover and wrapped his hand around Inuyasha's throat, his eyes glowing red as he lifted him into the air so that his feet were dangling helplessly. "Do not push me brother!" he growled low as he continued to squeeze the breath from the hanyou's body.

Behind him he heard the yowl of the demon cat as she was surrounded by flame and emerged as a ferocious wild cat, baring her huge fangs at the demon lord as he saw the others prepare to attack from the corner of his eye, weapons in their clinched fists as they glared at him in warning.

Sesshomaru released Inuyasha and he fell on the ground, wheezing for air. He had come to make a compromise, not waste his time fighting half-breeds, weak youkai, and loathsome humans.

As Sango flew to Inuyasha's side only to be shoved away by a stubborn Inuyasha, Miroku cautiously approached the demon lord and did a little bow of respect. "Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru eyed the monk suspiciously. Should he converse with this human? He glared at Inuyasha. At least the monk was showing respect toward his superior self. He might be easier to converse with then Inuyasha.

"What is it puny human?"

Again Miroku bowed. "Lord Sesshomaru. We thank you for your hospitality toward our friend who is most unworthy of your care and time but I would like to ask you on behalf of the entire group if you would give us a little time to consider your proposal."

Sesshomaru inwardly smiled at the monk's use of flattery. He truly doesn't mean the things he said but he seemed to truly care about the girl's safety and instead of fighting a losing battle, he is trying to bargain and buy more time to convince his brother to surrender the weapon. Indeed he was beginning to respect this mortal. At least he wasn't a rage-blinded fool like a certain half-brother of his.

"Exactly how much time do you think you will require Monk?"

Miroku seemed a little taken back by the sudden change of titles; his violet eyes momentarily filled with surprise, but quickly recovered.

"A month?" he inquired, throwing a time out there.

Sesshomaru shook his head. Too long.

"Two weeks?"

Sesshomaru thought for a minute and digested this proposal. Yes he was going to allow the human to stay a little longer for his little Rin's enjoyment and two weeks is probably the amount of time he could stand to be around her and not get her blood on his claws. He nodded.

"The wench will remain alive and quartered with me for the next 2 weeks until you have made a decision."

He narrowed his eyes at the group and flexed his claws. "But wait a day longer and all you will get back is her remains."

He watched in silent joy as their eyes once again lit up in fear. It was so entertaining to see them in distress! It also made him wonder what was so important about this female to make them fear for her safety so.

"Bring the Tetsusaiga to my castle in two weeks." His white cloud formed under his feet as he looked over at the still stunned Inuyasha. "I have no doubts you remember where it is. Don't you dare be late." He growled as he took off into the dawn colored sky, leaving the group to ponder his words.

The group stood in silence as they watched the Taiyoukai fly away till he was only a white dot in the colored sky before they visibly began to relax.

And by relax, it was meant that all hell broke loose.

Shippo started wailing, crying for his surrogate mother while the taijiya began to scream at the hanyou.

"How could you do that! After all Kagome has done for you!" Sango snapped while trying to comfort the wailing kitsume. She has having no such luck with consoling the child or getting any answers from the surprising silent Inuyasha.

Who remained silent for only about three more seconds before yelling back to defend himself.

"Just shut the hell up woman when you have no fucking idea what is going on!" he bellowed back at her as his eyes became hard and fiery with anger. The woman he was referring to, however, showed no fear or mercy as she brought her face within a few inches of his own, her own brown eyes filled the fire of passion as well.

"Well everyone here knows what goes on! We always know what goes on! If you hadn't run off with Kikyo yet again, she wouldn't have left, been bitten by a werewolf or had been kidnapped by your brother to be used as a mere bargaining chip!"

"Are you saying this is all my fault!"

"Yes! It is all your fault! Truth hurts dog boy!"

Miroku sighed as he rubbed his temples with his fingers. Better break everyone up before they get into a battle of sorts. At this rate, Sango will go from verbal to physical attacks in defense of her "sister". Last thing he needed was a dead hanyou on his hands. The rage of the woman can be fierce.

He calmly shoved himself between the two, making them both back away in surprise but were still staring each other down with daggers in their eyes. Now that Shippo had stopped wailing and had been watching the spectacle with big blue eyes, an eerie silence seemed to fill the clearing, nothing but the wind, snow fall and the passing of down to reassure them that time itself had not stopped as they seemed frozen in their positions.

As soon as Miroku was sure he had their undivided attention, he began to speak in a calm but commanding voice. "It has been a hard day for everyone. What's done is done and now all we can do is wait. There is no point in further arguing about it."

Inuyasha broke eye contact with the taijiya and turned away in a huff. "Feh. Whatever." He growled before jumping and propelling himself through the trees, obviously toward Kaede's village.

Miroku began to follow him, grabbing Sango's shoulder as he walked by, seeing that his touch seemed to drain her of any energy as she unclenched her fists till the were once again at her side. She signed in resignation as she tiredly followed him, walking side by side as he guided her with a comforting hand on her back as Shippo followed in their wake. Shippo also rolled his eyes as he saw the monk's hand slide down Sango's back…

The sound of her hand violently connecting with his cheek flesh seemed to resonate through the dead trees of Inuyasha's forest as she proceeded to stalk off, leaving Miroku sprawled out on the snow, using a hand full of the white ice to press against his red cheek in hopes to numb it enough so he didn't have to bear the stinging sensation. Shippo shook his head ashamed at the monk before pattering after Sango. Miroku smiled softly as he continued to rub the snow on his sore cheek. He had achieved the desired effect after all.

Sango was no longer mad at Inuyasha.

* * *

"JAKEN!" Sesshomaru yelled as he threw open the huge wooden doors of his castle, the winter wind blowing in drafts of snow that skidded playfully across the front hall's marble tiles, carried by the cold wind at his back.

Jaken hastily turned a corner and waddled to his master and bowed at his feet. "What is your wish Milord?" he asked in his usual high shrill voice. To Sesshomaru it sounded like nails on a chalkboard and it just increased the tension between his eyes; the headache that had formed when merely trying to imagine what it would be like when his "prisoner" awoke. Human were damn stressful creatures.

Sesshomaru charged past him and down the grand hall, his steps resounding through the cavernous building and Jaken jogged beside him, his little legs far shorter than the Taiyoukai's. "Has there been any change in the human?" Sesshomaru asked as he put as much hate and disgust as he could in the word as he possibly could.

Jaken wheezed as he tried to keep up with Sesshomaru, his feet padding at a rapid pace. "Nay Milord." He answered after catching some breath.

Sesshomaru pretended not to notice his vassal's discomfort as he continued walking toward the room that "Kagome" was resting in.

"Have the servants prepare another bedroom for the wench."

Jaken stopped in his tracks and stared at his master as if he had just grown two heads. "But…but why Milord?" Jaken asked in confusion as he stuttered and then slapped a hand over his mouth at Sesshomaru's glare.

"Are you questioning me?" Sesshomaru asked icily with his coldest glare. He was yet again finding that he was resisting the urge to once again slice a throat that needed to be cut. It was too early in the morning for this.

Jaken got on his knees and bowed as his head tapped the floor. "Jaken is sorry oh Glorious One! Jaken did not mean to speak out of line! Please don't kill me!" his shrill voice begging and once again Sesshomaru wanted to cover his ears with his hands. Maybe he wouldn't kill him but ripping the vile thing's throat out at the moment was looking more and more attractive.

Sesshomaru stopped at the door of the quarters in which the wench had been staying the past week, and sighed in annoyance. He just wanted Jaken to leave right now. "Just do what I say." He barked at the imp.

Jaken jumped up and began kissing Sesshomaru's black boots. "Master is so kind to this lowly Jaken!"

Sesshomaru kicked him, sending him flying into a polished stonewall. "Just go before I change my mind." he said emotionlessly with a glare.

Jaken quickly recovered and retreated from his furious Lord's line of vision.

Just a year ago I would have slain him for showing such disrespect. Sesshomaru thought as he quietly opened the oak door and slipped into the room silently like a ghost, where he could see Rin sleeping beside the human.

_That girl has made me soft._

As if he knew his thoughts about her, Rin wiggled uncomfortable in Kagome's grasp, trying in vain to roll over as Kagome unconsciously held the little girl even closer as if she were merely a doll to sleep with.

He watched as the light poured from the window and into the room, dancing on the two sleeping figure's faces, breathing in time. He quickly and silently approached the bed and had his claw carcass the little child's cheek while pulling a stray strand of dark brown hair behind her ear.

She had insisted on sleeping with her "angel" and even though he had warned her of the danger she wouldn't quit so he had moved the human into Rin's room so that he could watch her closely. He caught a whiff of the scent of the woman sleeping next to his precious daughter as she moaned in her sleep at the child's restless movements.

He pulled up a sitting pillow beside the bed, which was nothing more than a bundle of silks and fur blankets over a feather bed, raised on an slightly elevated wooden platform on the far side of the room by the only window, and watched the miko as the light shone off her skin, making it even paler as the silver crescent moon sparkled on her forehead. Her black hair (which had grown to a considerable length) lay sprawled out under her like waves in a black ocean and her chest rose and fell with the beating of her heart. They both look so peaceful. Sesshomaru thought to himself as he watched the two continued sleeping. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread that seemed to settle in his stomach as he looked upon their seemingly angelic and innocent faces knowing that they would be anything but peaceful when they woke up. Human females were just like that. And if this "Kagome" was anything like his Rin, he was in for some trouble.

The woman-child moved slightly in her sleep as the light from the window shining on her eyes caused her discomfort. He could hear her heart beat rising out of its slow pace and into the quicker pace of conscious and her breathing become less shallow, obvious signs of waking.

He scoffed. How like a human female to wait till he was in her presence to wake from her week's slumber. He leaned back in comfort, settling into the chair as Rin also showed signs of rising, obviously thanks to the other human's motions.

There are just some things about a human that are just so predictable.


	4. Awakening

**Chapter 4: Awakening**

Kagome felt the warmth of the sunlight hit her skin and flash across her eyes. She groaned sleepily as she rubbed her head, which was pounding like a hammer, as she tried to remember what had happened the night before. _I must have had too much sake last night…_ she deducted as she sat up in the bed as silk covers slid off her body to pool around her waist.

She rubbed her eyes as her blurred vision cleared to reveal the room she was curiously residing in. Where ever she was, it must be very expensive by the looks of the polished wood furniture, ordinate carpet rugs, elegant tapestries, silk curtains, full length mirror (which she knew was expensive to get in this time) and silk and fur bed spread. She winced and closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness passed over her and she swayed slightly as she rubbed the bridge of her nose in an attempt to relieve the pain that had settled between her eyes.

She felt a little figure beside her move underneath the covers, the impatient wiggling of a child. She slowly glanced down, expecting to see the red hair of Shippo but instead she saw big brown eyes open sleepily as a mass of brown hair poked out from the fluffy pillow. She was only a little surprised to find a little human girl where a youkai boy usually was. It wasn't the first time she woke up to find herself in a bed with the hotel owner's little daughter or son. She was just a mother magnet for children.

"Good morning Pretty Lady," said the little girl beside her as she sat up in bed and stretched her arms above her head as she yawned sleepily. She seemed to see Kagome through half open eyes, still blurred by sleep no doubt.

Kagome giggled. She had never been nicknamed "Pretty Lady" before by such an adorable child. "Good morning Little One!" she responded happily as the last dregs of sleep seemed to vanish from her body. Usually Kagome was awful about getting up in the mornings but this little girl made it really easy to want to get up for some reason. The girl only looked to be about 10, with stunning brown eyes and a mess of long brown hair that was perched in a messy half ponytail on the side of her head and her voice was a soothing soprano as words flowed from little pink lips like sakura petals. This girl was cute from her funny hairstyle right down to the way she talked!

"And good morning to you too Sesshy-sama!" the little girl cried excitedly, hopping out from the silk covers and looking over Kagome's shoulder as she noticed Sesshomaru's presence in the room.

"Good morning Rin." He responded in monotone, his facial features never showing any feeling.

Kagome turned to look over her won shoulder to the see the figure in which Rin was referring to. "Who's Sesshy-sa…!" She stopped in middle question and her eyes got big and frightened, like a deer about to get hit by a car as she looked into the unfeeling face of the Lord of the Western Lands only a foot from her own.

"SESSHOMARU!" she cried weakly as she scrambled slightly to get away from him but only succeeded in falling from the risen bed on the carpeted floor, face first. She yelped more in surprise than pain as she found herself eye level with a pair of polished black boots.

She rolled away from them as she heard the girl on the bed giggle and she stood up while trying to regain some composure but failing because every time she looked at demon lord's icy features, her knees began to shake. She opened her mouth to demand why she was here but she found that her tongue wouldn't let the words leave her throat. She was standing naught ten feet away from the one of the most powerful Taiyoukai in Japan, who had more than once tried to kill her, unarmed. Nothing but panic gripped her heart as she waited in shock for him to charge her and put a hole in her chest or something, like he had done to Inuyasha before. She seriously doubted she would live through it like Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru watched in pleasure as horror marred her pretty features and he inhaled her scent as the fear mingled with it, which now smelled like the white roses were about to be cut down. He could almost taste her distress and oh he loved it! Nothing like the smell of fear from a human to brighten a youkai's morning, that's for sure. He inwardly smirked in satisfaction as he stared icily at her.

"Good morning to you as well human…" he paused for a moment as he pretended to think, knowing the best way to reveal her situation to her while getting the optimum reaction. "Or should I say wolf?" he asked her, his voice filled with amusement.

Kagome's fear turned to confusion in .25 seconds. "Huh?" she responded most intelligently, almost forgetting she was talking to a person who she was previously imagining ripping her heart out. Human curiosity had command over any desperate situation.

One moment, Sesshomaru was the preferred 10 feet from her and in the blink of her eye he was standing in front of her, his head towering above her own. Before Kagome could even think about escaping his presence to put yet more space between them, he ferociously grabbed her small hand with such speed that Kagome didn't even see it and shoved it in front of her face. Kagome paled at the appendage, not even noticing that Sesshomaru had released it and went back to his pervious spot on the pillow by the bed.

On her hand, at the tips of her fingers where there used to be smooth, oval nails there were razor sharp claws.

She stared at it in disbelief, not believing what she was seeing. There is no way those could be claws! She used her hand, also claw lain, to touch them, hoping that this was all a figment of her imagination.

But to her disappointment, she pricked her finger on the claw and a red blood droplet formed at the place of abused flesh. They were real.

She gasped in surprise as she dashed to the mirror she had spotted earlier across the room. She stood in front of it and stared, her body freezing in shock.

Holy Crap!

The person that she found in her reflection was a stranger. The stranger was dressed in the same long sleeved pink shirt that she had worn that night she left Inuyasha but the shoulder was ripped, revealing a crescent moon like scar on her neck like a bite mark. She lifted a hand to touch the scar only to find that the person moved with her, only confirming that it was indeed her own reflection. Slowly and almost painfully, she forced her hand to rise and touch the part of her forehead underneath the curtain of her ebony bangs where the crescent moon was etched, her fingers lightly brushing it as if she would smug the paint only it wasn't painted on. As soon as she did that, every difference seemed to scream at her, begging to be noticed.

She inched closer as she stared into her reflection's wide eyes, revealing fear and surprise in their silver depths as she saw the slitted pupils. Those aren't hers! They used to be blue! She smiled experimentally, only to find that she had two extra long and pointed teeth in her mouth where flat ones used to be. Fangs! I have fangs! She thought frantically as she touched them, claws brushing against her rosy lips. She felt an ear twitch and she looked toward her ear in the mirror to find that they were now pointed like a elf's, much like many full demon's she had encountered when they were in their human like form. That in turn led her to notice her hair, which was unbound and felt heavy on her head.

She stepped back and turned around to see that her hair now touched the ground in a wavy ebony waterfall, having grown many feet in what seemed to be a short time. Her body also had muscles underneath her torn shirt and dirty jeans and even her bare toes had claws! She felt faint, taking in her new appearance.

Houston…we have a problem.

She turned on Sesshomaru as he sat lunging around, half sitting on the pillow and half leaning on the bed on the platform, mentally laughing at her as she examined herself in the mirror. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!" She cried with her eyes full of angry fire as she closed the gap between them with long strides. Anger, like curiosity, had command over any desperate situation as well.

Sesshomaru nearly slapped the wench as she towered over him as he continued to sit. How dare she talk to him like that! According to the change in her scent, she seemed to have forgotten her fear of him completely and was more bent on harming him, as if it was all his fault. He would have to remedy that notion quickly or she would likely engage in a fight he knew she would lose.

"I've done nothing." He answered while glaring at her icily as he stood, forcing her to look up at him. He preferred the scared human to this angry one. At least the scared one wanted distance from him but the angry one was invading his personal space. She was only a foot away and well within striking range, should the need overwhelm him. "You don't remember," he asked, the question more of a statement then and genuine question.

Kagome glared, only slightly intimidated by the fact she only came up to his chest. "Remember what?" she barked, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Sesshomaru almost rolled his eyes. In that pose, she reminded him of his half brother. Defiance must be a human trait. "You were kidnapped by a werewolf."

Kagome stared at him, trying to keep her mouth from gaping. Kidnapped by a what!

"I saved you." Sesshomaru continued, not seeming to be at all discomforted by her intense gaze.

She was saved by WHO! She began to sway as another wave of dizziness swept over her, making her feet light-headed. Why was did she keep getting this dizzy spells? She leaned on the wall for support before she sank down to the bed in defeat.

Sesshomaru watched as she sat on the bed. Standing must be having a toll on her after a week of no food. He secretly smirked at her weakness. Oh he was loving this! Her internal anguish was painfully evident! She was so confused and scared that she had no idea what's going on!

"Oh I want to tell the story!" said the little girl as she bounced up and down on the fluffy bed and silk sheets. She had been watching Kagome and Sesshomaru for a while in interest but now she wanted to tell the other girl how she came to be in her room. Kagome couldn't help but giggle and smile at the little girl, all signs of confusion, fear, or anger disappearing from her face with that smile.

Sesshomaru nodded his approval before sinking back onto the pillow yet again and resuming his position of comfort. Now that the human had calmed down, she was no longer entertaining. He had to admit, the angry version was sure more appealing than the scared version; having someone so weak want to pick a fight with him was most amusing.

Rin squeaked in excitement as she sat down beside Kagome on the silk sheets. "Ok. I was almost asleep when I saw Sesshy-sama suddenly leave the castle, probably going to kill some demon on his lands so just incase he got hurt, I snuck out and followed him. But then he flew to fast on his Fluffy Cloud and I lost him and then I became lost. After a LONG while, I came to a Big Hole and on the other side you, the Pretty Lady and the…the…" she paused, fear clouding her features and Kagome placed a hand on her shoulder, concerned. Why was this girl pausing?

"Wolf." Sesshomaru finished for her, waving a hand for her to continue.

At the sound of his voice, Rin seemed to snap out of her little trance and once again grace Kagome with a wide grin, acting as though nothing had happened. "Anyway, you were fighting and then…it tried to attack me but you jumped on…it and you both fell down in the Big Hole and you got bitten. Then Sesshy-sama came out of nowhere and flew down to save you and took you home after I asked if I could keep the Pretty Lady. Then when I saw you the next day, I asked Sesshy-sama if I could keep you in my room till you woke up and he said yes so you've been sleeping in my room for a long time and now you are awake and we can have all sorts of fun!" she said in a sense of finality and she sat a little straighter, as if proud of her story telling.

Kagome at first was quiet, taking in the information, but then just burst out laughing! This girl was too cute!

Rin looked at her in confusion and then turned to her foster father. "Did I say something funny?" she asked in confusion, at a lost to why the other girl would be laughing so hard. There were tears streaming down her cheeks that the girl was frantically trying to wipe away.

Sesshomaru shrugged indifferently as he rose from the chair and pointed to the wardrobe in the corner of the room. "Get dressed in something appropriate and Rin will show you to the dining hall." He turned to leave the room, closing the distance between him and the door with measured and even strides.

"As you wish Sesshy-sama," Kagome said jokingly, feeling much better after she laughed as she rose from the bed toward the wardrobe he had spoken of. To think the Great and Powerful Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands would have such a funny nickname! It almost…humanized him, which Kagome thought was a strange way of putting it, since as a Taiyoukai he could never be human in any way but that seemed the only way to describe it.

Sesshomaru stopped in the doorway, his hand on the handle and Kagome felt his jaki rise just a little, making her stop on her own tracks as Rin squeaked a little in surprise. He turned his head and glared at her, his golden eyes burning her flesh. "You will address me as Lord Sesshomaru and bow when dismissed from my presence. Is that clear human?" his usually calm voice was filled with such hatred when he used the word "human" that it sent chills down her spine. He watched her expectantly. If she is to stay alive in his presence she will have to show him some respect: he would see to that.

Kagome felt her anger rise. He wanted her to WHAT! She may be in his "presence" but she still had her pride! Her first thought was refusing but he may kill her…and she wanted to stay alive. She was at his mercy…until she found out what the hell was going on and managed to make her escape.

She sighed in resignation as she slowly arched her back in the tiniest bow, as if every moment pained her as her pride seemed to crack a little. "Forgive me Lord Sesshomaru," she muttered through gritted teeth. She never felt so low! She preoccupied her mind with images of Sesshomaru's beautiful face kissing the carpet like Inuyasha kissed the ground when ever she "sat" him. Oh how she wished for that necklace right now!

Sesshomaru turned away from her and left the girls. Outside the room, he smirked in satisfaction. She was a strong willed one. He was sure it KILLED her pride to do that. This human promised to be very entertaining during her stay at his castle. He continued to smirk as he walked through the hallways to confront the guards who stood watch last night about Rin's little escape.

Yes…fear in the morning was always refreshing.

* * *

Kagome glared at the door in which "Lord Sesshomaru" had left, feeling so sure that he was laughing at her just beyond it. She was wondering idly if he would stay behind it long enough for Kagome to "accidentally" open the door to slam it into his face.

It was not like Kagome was mean or anything. In fact, she was a nice person, always putting other's needs before her own and she took pride in that fact. It was just the whole "collar" situation she found herself in. While she was in his house, she would have to do anything he told her to or risk being killed.

She hated the thought completely.

From what she could gather, he was rude, arrogant, pompous, cold, unfeeling…well not unfeeling. He had shown amusement and anger towards her hadn't he? She snorted, not really considering those "feelings". Basically, he was everything she had expected since had met him their first battle.

There are just some things about a youkai that are just so predictable.

She looked down as she felt the impatient tugging of Rin as she pulled at her sleeve. Remembering what her new "master" had ordered her to do, she walked up to the wardrobe and opened it to find folds of silk, all different colors and sizes, all so beautiful that it made Kagome gasp. Her hands brushed along the different folds until she stopped on a pretty pink pattern of sakura blossoms, one of the larger ones meant for her. She pulled it out and it unfolded gently as it touched the floor.

The fabric felt smooth and soft under Kagome's fingers, giving her the notion that this kimono was older for if it were new, like Rin's, then the cloth would be thicker and slightly tougher. Rin had already chosen a solid pink kimono, probably based off of Kagome's own decision, and began to struggle into it, used to having to do it most her life.

Such was the life of a Lord's daughter.

Kagome awkwardly stripped herself of her old clothes, ones she will probably have to throw away, and began to wrap the kimono around her. Though it fit her nicely, the sleeves fluttered past her finger tips and the hem of the dress went past her feet and drag on the ground, unlike the kimonos of the common Japanese people, whose hems stopped high above the ankles and sleeves were much, much shorter than this because such things were impractical for the working populace.

This was the kimono of a noble person; one not made or meant to work.

She tied the red obi around her waist, noticing how much thinner she was, and started to twist her super-long hair into a huge braid, using the brush she dug from her back pack that was sitting by the wardrobe.

As much as she didn't like Sesshomaru, she was at least appreciative that he wasn't going to force her to wear a servant's clothes if he was going to make her wear anything. She momentarily wondered where he had gotten so many nice kimonos for her. She doubted that there was a Mrs. Sesshomaru of the Western Lands and she seriously doubted that he would let a human wear his mother's things. She didn't think Inuyasha's mom had lived here but maybe she did and she left or died before she moved them out. But if that was the case, why did Sesshomaru keep them around?

She shook her head, clearing it of her thoughts as she finished tying the end of her braid. Why did the thing have to be so damn long?

"By the way, what's your name Pretty Lady?" Rin asked as she struggled to tie the obi around her little waist. Kagome rushed to help her and tied it tight but not too tight before answering.

"It's Kagome." She tugged at Rin's shoulder and she turned obediently, large brown eyes staring as the disarray of brown hair on her head swayed with her moments. Kagome smiled as she untied the tie in the girl's messy hair, letting it fall down in a tangled wave as she got her brush and started to pull it back into a ponytail. The girl shook her head stubbornly, wrenching her locks from Kagome's loose grasp. "I want a braid!" she stated stubbornly before standing still in front of Kagome once more. Kagome laughed as she started over, this time beginning to braid her wild brown hair.

"Kagome…" The girl said as she patiently waited for Kagome to finish. "That's a pretty name!" She decided before she began to wiggle impatiently. Kagome gently ordered her to stay still before she let her mind wonder.

The she thought about this situation the more she didn't like it. Why does Sesshomaru have a human in his presence if he's supposed to hate them so much? Why did Sesshomaru save her, a human herself? Why didn't Inuyasha rescue her? Why isn't he here now?

Something was up. She didn't know why she felt that her being in the continued "presence" of Sesshomaru was all Inuyasha's fault.

She finally finished binding the little girl's hair in a thick braid that railed to the middle of her back, tangle-free and out of the little girl's way when Rin bounced away, twirling in her kimono. "Do I look pretty?" she asked seriously, looking deep into Kagome's eyes, expecting an honest answer.

Kagome smiled as she pretended to wrinkle her brow in concentration as she circled the little girl, acting as if she were studying her intensively. The kimono the girl had picked was a slightly darker shade pink than the one she herself was currently wearing, the sleeves considerably shorter and the hem higher on her legs for it was a child's kimono, ready for playing use. The silk looked to be about the same quality or Kagome's but it was newer and shinier than her own, bringing out the girl's flushed cheeks and soft pink lips. Now that the girl's hair was in order, her brown eyes looked bigger and her round face made her look even more adorable than before.

Kagome nodded her approval. "You are the prettiest little girl I have ever met!"

Rin clapped her hands and twirled, pleased by her success. Kagome laughed as she crept up behind the girl and began to tickle her sides. Rin fell to the floor in a fit of giggles as Kagome looked innocently at her, as if she was not to culprit but some unseen ghost instead.

"By the way, what is your name?" Kagome asked as she helped the little girl to her feet. Rin brushed off her kimono before pointing to herself with her thumb.

"My name is Rin." She said proudly, grinning as she did.

Kagome laughed and then bowed slightly as she gestured to the door with her hands. "Well, Lady Rin, could you please show me to the dinning room? I am starving!" she said, which was the truth. She felt as if she hadn't eaten for a week!

Rin excitedly dashed out the door but before Kagome herself left to follow, she found herself looking out Rin's giant window, the flecks of snow drifting past the glass uncovered by the curtains. She closed her eyes and silently prayed Inuyasha came soon.

* * *

Sesshomaru waited at the low dining table, nails drumming in a bored gesture as his claws left light indentions in the wood while he sat indian-style upon a black floor pillow set at the head of the long table. Even though his food had been placed in front of him, including at the two places near him, he had not taken a bite. Being a demon and all, he didn't really need to eat human things like rice and such but Rin always made such a fuss about him needing to eat.

She still hasn't realized that he and she were two different beings.

Anyway every morning, he usually just picked at his food, taking little bites as Rin rattled on about some dream she had or what she done the day before that she hadn't mentioned at dinner last night. Usually Sesshomaru just nodded as he all but ignored her, instead taking this time to order his plans for the day in his head.

This morning, however, was anything but usual.

For one thing, Rin and the human were late. That was nothing that surprised him. Females, whether human, hanyou, or youkai, had this thing about taking so long to get dressed to do anything. He winced at how the different female youkai he had courted in the past had done this, taking forever to dress up in an impractical manner as if to impress him of their beauty and make him feel the wait was worth it.

He, of course, had only felt annoyance but had been patient nonetheless.

And instead of his usual mellowness, he actually was in a semi-good mood this morning. After winning the battle of wills with the human this morning and then scolding his fearful soldiers had put him in a contented mood of sorts. He felt as though he could wait all morning for his daughter and the wench to show up but knew he wouldn't. There was too much for him to do instead of waiting for them.

As if the previously mentioned females had heard his thoughts about him, he smelled the combined scent of daisies that was Rin and roses that was "Kagome", both giving off a morning freshness. He looked up as he heard the pounding of feet and the creaking of the door's hinges as it opened to reveal a flash of pink as Rin ran toward his direction while the wench calmly followed after her with a smile on her lips.

"Sesshy-sama!" Rin cried as she wrapped her arms around his neck in one of her embraces. He sighed as he patted her arm with his only hand. This hugs were becoming more and more frequent, to his dismay. He gently pulled her off him and tilted his head at Kagome, in a gesture that Rin should look as well.

"Rin, we have a guest remember?" he inquired gently, in hopes that she would remember some of the manners he and some of the other youkai had tried to teach her.

Rin stared at Kagome for a moment before it dawned on her. She dashed over to Kagome and tugged at a sleeve, much like she did to Sesshomaru when she wanted his attention, and led Kagome to a pillow.

"Would you please have a seat, Kagome-chan?" She asked politely as she gestured with her hands for Kagome to sit and did a little bow.

Kagome, catching onto the change to formality, folded her hands and did an appropriate bow before responding. "Thank you, Rin-chan." She went over to the suggested place, a black silk pillow on the right side of Sesshomaru and, as gracefully as she could, kneeled, sitting on her legs as the pillow took her weight. The silk folds of the kimono fluttered about her momentarily with her movements before settling around her knees and feet, leaving them completely covered as she felt her braid bundle up behind her like slack rope on the floor. She wondered if it would grow back like a demon's would if she cut a few feet off…

Rin, seeing that Kagome was comfortable, turned and quickly walked around the end of the table where Sesshomaru was, following her moments with his golden eyes as she sat on his right side so that she was on the opposite side of Kagome.

Kagome looked at the food on the tray in front of her as she took in its pleasant aroma. Before her was a bowl of white rice, still steaming though the food had been here before her, with a tray that looked to be chopped pickled radish, yet another tray with what smelled to be sliced fish that had been grilled and smothered in an unidentifiable savory sauce and a cup of what was clearly fresh green tea next to a saucer of rice cakes.

The smell of all this warm food made Kagome stomach growl with hunger but before she grabbed the pair of wood chopsticks on the napkin at the right of the food she had noticed that Rin had not touched her food but was instead looking up at Sesshomaru expectantly.

Kagome too glanced at the emotionless Taiyoukai as he sat quietly, his plate untouched. Kagome had the sudden feeling that this was one of his superiority things…the man of the house has to start eating before the women etc… and she had to suppress the urge to grab a chop stick full of rice, put it in her mouth, and stick a half-chewed rice-covered tongue at him.

To her surprise Sesshomaru turned to Rin and gently asked, "Rin, why are you not eating? Your food is getting cold."

Kagome was even more surprised when the Rin stuck her chin up defiantly while crossing her arms stubbornly as she looked her foster father in the eyes. "Sesshy-sama you haven't touched your food at all! How are you supposed to run this castle if you don't eat food for energy?"

Sesshomaru inwardly groaned. He knew this was coming. It came about every morning. She just refused to eat till he had at least had a bite. And what was worse was that the woman on his right was trying hard not to laugh at the situation. He glared at her while grabbing a chopstick fill of rice to force into his mouth and she quickly hid her smile behind a hand.

Kagome reached for her tea as she tried not to giggle uncontrollably at the scene she was witnessing. She had thought that Rin not eating was just a rule of Lord Sesshomaru, not that the little girl was upset that he had not begin to eat. Rin scolded him like a mother would a child, or like a woman would her husband, and seeing the demon lord obey was positively riveting!

That little girl had the youkai wrapped around her little finger!

"Kagome-chan, are you going to eat?" asked Rin as she began shoving a slice of pickle radish into her mouth with her chopsticks. Kagome needed no further invitation as she began to all but shove the food in her mouth, her manners preventing her from fully digging in.

Sesshomaru watched as the girls began to eat, occasionally forcing himself to take a tiny bite of food at Rin's glance. Rin had already begun chatting about what she had done the day before, as she usually did, as she and Kagome ate their food, the other girl only nodding and commenting every once in a while, too busy trying not to shove all the food in her mouth.

Sesshomaru was only slightly appalled at her eating habits. It was understandable considering she hasn't eaten anything in the week she was unconscious and he could see how she was trying to control herself enough to eat with at least a little poise.

Humans…He scoffed before choking down yet another bite of rice.

The other reason at why her eating hadn't bothered him so much is that he had seen much worse. Although most of the demon nobility had manners, there were a few that didn't, like the wolf tribes to the North. He had remembered the last banquet he had been to up there…it was disgusting and an experience he has no desire to repeat if he could help it.

In fact, he should be using this time to put his daily affairs in order but he found himself continually glancing to his left at the wench. It wasn't that he found her particularly fetching or anything…in human terms she was desirable but she didn't hold a glow to a true female youkai's beauty. Then again, that wasn't fair to say for true demons can alter their human appearances, making themselves as beautiful or as homely as they wanted.

The only things they couldn't change were certain traits of heritage, his being his facial markings and tail, and the signs of age. Though demons age much slower than humans or hanyous, they inevitably show signs of aging. Sesshomaru himself was still young in youkai terms, him being only 500 years old or so. He still had about 600 or so years to go before he even began to look even slightly different. Other than aging and their permanent traits, demons could look like anything they wanted and stay that way. Usually when a demon finds an appearance he or she likes as a child, they keep it though their whole life, only changing it when they absolutely have to. Most demons, like him self, try to look a variation of their parents, taking pride in their lineage. Even after Sesshomaru's father had become infatuated with a human female, Sesshomaru hadn't bothered to change his appearance, being too used to it already to go through the uncomfortable process of changing what he looked like.

He could give the wench this though: she didn't need the face paint or jewels that he had seen other human woman dawn to make her look attractive. Now that she had been bathed, sponge bathed anyway by servants only last night in hopes that her human scent would deaden, and properly clothed she was a different person that the girl he had previously brought into their mists just earlier that week. She sat very still and in a straight posture as she tried to eat daintily while giving Rin almost her undivided attention. She was wearing a light pink sakura kimono that she obviously found among the many he had the servants supply for her in the wardrobe, its edges pooled around her kneeling legs, completely covering them. She had slid the large sleeves down her pale arms so that she could eat properly without them hindering her while she became accustomed to eating with claws on chopsticks. He had taken into account that this kimono that the girl had chosen had also influenced his pup's own decision, for the young girl also garbed in a pink child's kimono.

His eyes drifted down to her waist and he was slightly surprised by how tight the obi was able to be tied. She must have lost a lot more weight than he had first thought, once more slightly sympathic to her current eating condition.

From there his eyes continued to scan, noticing briefly the scar she had received from her previous adventure on her smooth pale neck before going to her face. Indeed he was not surprised to why she had been shocked earlier, the changes drastic to him as well and he had only seen her occasionally through the years. Her cheeks were slightly thinner, due to lack of food obviously, her ears were pointed like demon in their human form, full pink lips that parted only to let food pass by them, the flash of fangs only momentary. Her hair had grown much longer than his own, barley trailing on the floor in a long black braid that now lay in a coil behind her back while her bangs and whatever small wisps of hair that had worked their way loose from the bound bunch framed her face. He also noticed with slight amusement that his pup had also taken up this hair style as well, trying to match her new friend.

However, what he found most captivating about this girl's appearance was her eyes.

Given they were now unnatural silver with slitted pupils like an animal youkai, their color wasn't the thing that fascinated him. No, what did was the fact that, like Rin's, they showed whatever emotion she was feeling at that exact moment. In Rin's room, he had seen her fear in them before he even smelled it in her scent, saw the fire of anger before she even dared to approach him. After being around youkai all his life, most of whom all held frozen, protected glances at those who were not kin unless it was amusement or rage, it never ceased to amaze him how humans mostly just showed their emotions to anyone, friend or foe. Kagome's eyes were no exception to this rule, her eyes dancing as she laughed hearty at the child across from her who had obviously been describing some comedic event.

She turned his way slightly, probably feeling the force of his gaze on her person, and her cheeks flushed the light pink glow of embarrassment, adding color to her fair skin that only matched too well with her sakura kimono. She seemed to hesitate, her lips parted as they hung slightly a gape as if she wanted to ask a question. He waited, putting another mouthful of rice in his mouth as he waited patiently.

Kagome stared at a waiting Sesshomaru, mouth ready to ask the question she wanted so badly to be answered: Why is Rin here? A simple question that had plagued her years back when she helped him rescue her from Naraku and had risen once again like a ghost as her curiosity began to take command once again. But she thought better of it. Maybe she'll just ask Rin how she came to meet "Sesshy-sama" later. Instead she settled on another question that also tugged at her mind about her current situation.

"Lord Sesshomaru, how long had I been asleep?" she asked, still hating the fact she was to refer to him as "Lord Sesshomaru". He was more like Lord Pain-in-the-Ass as far as she was concerned, acting so smug all the time and making her feel stupid like he did in Rin's room. However it did worry her a little when Rin had mentioned that she had been asleep for a "long time" that made her wonder just how long she had been out.

"A week," Sesshomaru answered before taking a sip from his tea cup. He knew that hadn't been the question that was really on her mind, seeing her hesitation, but he answered her nonetheless. Her reactions to shocking information were proving to be reliably entertaining…

Kagome nearly choked on the bite of fish she had been eating and began to cough uncontrollably as she reached for her tea cup to clear her throat. The tea did the job, though it scolded her slightly from taking such a big gulp of the steaming liquid. She coughed only a little more before she wheezed, "A week!" in surprise. However long she thought she had been out, she hadn't thought it to be that long! No wonder she was so hungry!

"That is what I said human," Sesshomaru said to her sarcastically, as though she was a simpleton. He couldn't help baiting her. Human emotions had a way of taking things to the extreme and he wanted to study this unusual trait now that he had an adult female in his mist, which he was lead to believe to be the worst about displaying their emotions. He was not disappointed as he felt the human's anger rise in her scent as her eyes once again filled with that angry fire he had seen earlier.

If Kagome thought she had previously had "mean" thoughts back in Rin's bedroom, they were almost nothing compared to now. Kagome had to admit, this was a little out of her character…oh hell, who was she trying to fool? She hated it when Inuyasha had talked down to her and she certainly had more feeling toward him than his heartless brother. Pompous asshole seems to be the only way to really describe him: why does he keep calling her "human" like it was disgusting? She is human, or was once anyway, get over it. If the thought of him killing her hadn't loomed in her mind, she certainly would follow her notions of grabbing a hand full of his beautiful silver hair and bashing his head repeatedly on the table.

Ok, she had to admit, she definitely was feeling more aggressive. This was the third time in one morning that she thought of actually physically harming the Taiyoukai who apparently saved her life. Was it just the way he provoked her or was she changing thanks to that bite? The thought was not comforting.

Sesshomaru watched with mild amusement as she looked as if she was going to snap a remark at him, witty or not he couldn't tell, but seemed to change her mind and calmed herself to ask another question instead.

"What do you think is going to happen to me now that I have been bitten by a werewolf?"

Sesshomaru paused, deciding on how he should answer this one. The girl had no tact or preferred none for she was blunt and to the point instead of trying to pry the answer from him like others would have tried to do. Since her curiosity was annoying, at least her honestly was somewhat appreciated. That just gave him one less thing to worry. Plus the more questions she asked the less human food he had to force-feed himself with the excuse of answering them and that was almost worth the trade.

"I think the obvious conclusion is that you will become one yourself. Though I'm sure that the process is well underway, considering your new appearance, I still think it will be a while before the transformation is complete."

Kagome groaned as she slouched miserably. So that part of the stories was true.

Damn… Couldn't the gods just throw her a freakin' bone? Just once?

"So…what am I? Human or youkai?"

That question had also been bugging her. He kept calling her human but he had also called her wolf so now she wanted to know. If he was going to call her something, he might as well get it right.

Sesshomaru had expected this question would come, especially after he kept calling her human to bug her. He had been looking into the subject in his library, for it is imperative for him to know about any…thing staying in his household and had already come up with what was, to him anyway, a suitable and understandable answer.

"I believe you are both."

Kagome raised an elegant, raven eyebrow. "Like a hanyou?"

Sesshomaru merely nodded before he continued in his usual monotone. "While you have demonic like features and abilities in your human form like quick regeneration and other powers, you are unable to use your full abilities till you enter your wolf demon form. However, you have almost no control or consciousness while in your full form, so you could lash out at friend as well as foe."

Kagome nodded, knowing that kind of situation all too well. It was just like Inuyasha, who was a perfect mix but if he wasn't grasping the Tetsusaiga in battle, his demon blood takes control of him and his power greatly increases but at a price. He will continue to kill or be killed, whether the people he struck down were innocent, guilty or his friends. It seems that Kagome is going to thrown into that same delicate balance.

Sesshomaru noticed that her eyes had become sad and thoughtful as she digested this new information. He had no doubt in his mind that she was thinking of Inuyasha and how much more alike they are now, both plagued with the same curse: powerful demonic blood in human bodies. It was the fate or many of the children of the more powerful youkai's, for his father wasn't the first to lay with a human and he certainly won't be the last.

Once again, Sesshomaru was thankful that he wasn't a result of one of those unions like Inuyasha was. As much as he hated the idiot, pity was by far the most overpowering of the emotions he had towards his half brother. It was Inuyasha's fault that he turned into what he was: a wild, uncivilized, overly emotional, rage-driven, human-loving fool that had little or no control of what forces that lay dormant inside his weak body nor was he accepted by either the youkai or humans.

Still didn't mean Sesshomaru didn't hate the bastard. He did lose an arm to him after all, in some fluke accident.

"I don't suppose you know of any way to cure it?"

Kagome felt stupid for asking such a dumb question. It would be noting short of a miracle if he knew anything along those lines. Still she couldn't prevent holding her breath just a little in anticipation.

Sesshomaru knew that she didn't think he would be able to answer that question. If he hadn't spent so much time reading on it, he wouldn't have the slightest idea either.

"From what I understand, if you are able to get a hold of some wolf's bane before your first transformation it ought to turn you back to normal. "

Kagome was slightly surprised. Not only did the answer make it seem easy but he seemed to have done some research.

"Do you know where any wolf's bane is?"

To her dismay Sesshomaru merely shook his head and she slouched again in disappointment. Of course, an easy solution just not so easy way of finding it.

"The last I heard of any wolf's bane was in the Eastern Lands. The Dragon Youkai used to have some problems with the Wolf Youkai attacking them from the North so they had grown some and used it to hold the wolves at bay."

Kagome sighed. "Eastern Lands" was a very broad image but it was better than nothing... did he say Wolf Youkai?

"Is Koga one of those Wolf Youkai?"

Sesshomaru raised a silver brow at this question. It seemed a little out of nowhere… how did she know the Lord's son?

He mentally slapped himself. He had forgotten that she was at that battle where Inuyasha, himself and Koga had battled the cat demons from the continent. If she hadn't known him before that, she would definitely know him from that incident.

He might as well put her face at every instance he had seen Inuyasha over the past four years just to save time.

"Koga is son of the current Lord, though he hardly spends time at home. Ever since his father gave him his own pack, Koga does what he pleases." Personally, Sesshomaru never liked Koga. Wolf Youkai, like the humans, had no problems displaying their emotions so the wolf demon had only reminded him too much of Inuyasha. He would give Koga this though; he wasn't an idiot.

This news about Koga made Kagome feel a little better. He or his kin would have a better idea where to find the wolf's bane, though she could just hear him now:

"Why change? You are almost wolf now and that's makes you ideal for my wife!"

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow as he studied the miko. For some reason, she had begun to blush again, a deeper red than before as if her thoughts of the wolf prince had embarrassed her. He tucked that information away in his head; unlike the human in front of him, he had tact when wanting information from someone. He would find out what he wanted, if it still interested him at a later date.

Kagome pushed her thoughts of Koga aside. Even if she wasn't so smitten with the hanyou, she still wouldn't marry the demon who had announced his love for her and kept referring to her as "My Kagome" or "My Future Wife" or "My Mate". She just never harbored any feelings other than friendship toward the stubborn youkai.

Well now that she knew where she needed to go now she just need to make her plans for escape. She knew she couldn't just waltz out the front door. If Sesshomaru's castle was anything like a human Lord's, the guards would catch her before she even stepped a foot out into the courtyard. No doubt they had already been aware that she was the prisoner and will not to let her out.

Kagome was still at a lose as to why Sesshomaru was treating her like a prisoner. He was a full-blown human-hater; that was no secret. The only reason he put up with her and probably hadn't killed her was that he gained something from her presence. But what was Kagome's question.

Suddenly she had an idea.

She immediately glanced over at Sesshomaru, glaring so hard as if she wanted him to spontaneously combust. No… it wasn't against him to hold a human who he felt he could use as a bargaining chip.

Whatever gratitude she held for him about him saving her life vanished completely and was replaced by the urge to get as far, far away from him.

She was leaving as soon as possible.


	5. Plots and Pinky Swears!

**Chapter 5: Plots and Pinky Swears!**

Naraku, dressed in his usual baboon pelt, sat on the Eastern Lord's throne, feeling victorious and most at home on the pervious Dragon Taiyoukai's throne of obsidian trimmed with gold.

Finally his plan was going into motion. A plan that had taken years to conceive, longer than the mind games he played with certain hanyou.

He felt hatred bubble in his soul before he smothered it. Why should he ruin his present good mood with thoughts of the hated creature previously mentioned? He would give Inuyasha the honor though, of being the only one, besides Kikyo, who was able to get under his skin.

After all, Kikyo was the person who made him who he was today.

Speaking of Inuyasha, he'd better check on the half-breed's progress.

He beckoned to Kana and she stepped forth, knowing full well the image he wanted to see. She stood in front of him as he sat comfortably, only leaning slightly forward, using his arm as a head rest while staring into the mirror in Kana's grasp.

He waited patiently as the mists that whirled in the mirror parted to reveal Inuyasha and his group were once again traveling, no doubt after what little of the jewel shards remained unfound. This wouldn't originally have interested him if it weren't for the fact that they were missing a person of their party.

The miko that so reminded him of the woman he desired, even now.

"Show me the last time the whereabouts of "Kagome" were known."

The mirror fogged once again as a new image appeared.

The miko had apparently snuck off from Inuyasha in the middle of the night, about a week ago if the moon was anything to go by, heading only Kami knows where when she was kidnapped by what looked to be a werewolf.

He continued to watch with peaking interest as she struggled, injuring both her and the wolf as they tumbled down a slope toward a chasm, raising an eyebrow in surprise as the vaguely familiar face of Lord Sesshomaru's ward stumbled upon the scene, conveniently on the opposite side of the chasm, inaudibly screaming. He noticed that the werewolf's attention was set on the girl and all but ignored Kagome as he jumped to devour the easier prey, who seemed too frightened to move.

His eyes widened in shock as Kagome jumped on the wolf's back as it jumped past her to send them both tumbling into the chasm before the mirror went completely blank.

This was quite an interesting new…development.

Kagura entered the dark throne room, the wind that was constantly mixed with her presence causing her the red and white silks of her kimono to flutter about her as she stopped in the middle of the floor and kneeled, head bowed before the one that holds her heart (literally).

"Kohaku is dispatching the remaining allies of the former Eastern Lord, including the princess who made off with the shards and the sword. All this land is yours, Naraku." She said in a monotone, knowing full well that Naraku probably already knew this information already.

She looked up at his handsome face and into the crimson eyes so much like her own, noting his smug look of contentment. "I take it Inuyasha and his friends have run into some trouble?" she inquired. Nothing less would give Naraku such satisfaction, not even his current victory over the Dragon Youkai and gain of the Eastern Lands.

Naraku smirked and beckoned her closer. She obediently stood and walked till she was standing beside the obsidian throne, being so close to her master that it made her skin crawl in fear. Ignoring her obvious discomfort, she extended a claw to point at the mirror being held by an emotionless Kana. "Inuyasha has lost his miko. He can no longer detect the shards."

Kagura scanned the images as they flashed across the mirror's smooth surface, starting with Inuyasha's wench being kidnapped by a werewolf and falling down a chasm before fogging over and revealing Inuyasha and his friends traveling without the miko, her blood red eyes catching every moment before glancing at Naraku in agreement.

"Seems she is lost or dead."

Naraku grinned evilly, waving a hand to dismiss her and Kana, who merely moved to take her place on the left side of him to stand by the throne in case she was once again needed while Kagura quickly crossed the tiles of the throne room, not needing any further invitation to leave his presence.

It is perhaps time to quit playing games and get rid of Inuyasha… he thought to himself, debating on how this should be accomplished, each way that cross his mind even more entertaining than the last. Why shouldn't he give Inuyasha and his band the glory of dying in a spectacular way after all the years of trouble they had given him?

He will have to think of that later. Right now he needed to continue with his plans of taking over all the lands one by one, starting with the half-demon's own brother. Having the West Lands would greatly increase his current political power. He would need it if he were going to attack the wolf tribes in the North. Packs were always harder to destroy because of their numbers and passion and loyalty to each other.

He summoned a water spirit, the water female's fluid body constantly moving and changing as she bowed to her master.

"Izumi. I want you to kill Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands."

"_IIIII WIIILLL DOOO ASSS YOOOU COOOMAAND MIIILOOORD." _Her beautiful voice resonated in the air, pure and sweet. She dissolved into a mist and disappeared.

He sat upon his throne, once again his mind plotting a waiting more news on the current situation in the Eastern Lands: the retrieval of six shards that the dragons had collected before he had invaded and they were taken by the princess.

Kagura left the room as fast as her pride would let her and as soon as she was out of sight, she could not help but smile.

That was one of the flaws about Naraku. Besides underestimating his enemies, he also has this habit of seeing only what he wanted. She knew in her mind that one flaw would be his downfall.

He didn't see the white blur going into the chasm before the scene fogged over.

* * *

"Inuyasha! Can we stop?" Shippo asked, rubbing his sore paws. "We've been walking for hours!" he whined, though it was nothing short of the truth. After Sesshomaru had left and tempers cooled, Inuyasha wasted no time in shoving them on the road, going almost double the usual strenuous pace Inuyasha set.

Inuyasha shook his head stubbornly at the kitsune, unphazed by the kit's pathetic wails. "We have to keep looking for shards!"

"Can you sense shards now Inuyasha?" asked Miroku sarcastically as he leaned heavily on his staff to try to ease his aching legs. Miroku understood full well why they were traveling so fast and in the direction of the setting sun. Using the shards as an excuse to go tromping into Sesshomaru's territory to get Kagome from its castle hold wasn't fooling Miroku or making him desire to try and match the hanyou's speed.

"Well no but…HEY!" Inuyasha screamed in rage as the group flopped down on the ground and started to make camp. Inuyasha fumed while glaring at his friends who didn't halt at his words or looks. "WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!" He pointed to the sun traveling westward. "WE'VE STILL GOTTA LOT OF SUN LEFT!"

"Well since Kagome is not going to be with us for sometime now because of SOMEONE'S stupidity and none of us can detect the shards I think its safe to assume we can make camp, oh Mighty Leader. Then we won't be dead tired when we stumble into the Western Lands." Miroku said, putting a lot of sarcasm and annoyance into the sentence.

As much as he loved Kagome, Miroku was cold, tired, and had no wish to anger the Taiyoukai that held her captive. He had the unsettling feeling that Sesshomaru wouldn't welcome them with open and hand over Kagome with the sword in his hands first and Miroku doubted that Inuyasha was trekking the long distance to hand over the Tetsusaiga.

Inuyasha ran over to him and grabbed the front of his robes and raised a fist to hit him. "Watch who you are calling "stupid" Monk." Miroku merely wretched his robes from Inuyasha's iron grip, nearly tearing them in the process while glaring at the hanyou.

"Well if you expect us to just waltz up to Sesshomaru's castle, filled with youkai soldiers and be in top fighting condition to back you up after being forced to travel at such speed in the dead of winter, than you've got another thing coming."

Inuyasha's golden eyes flashed warningly at the monk as he opened his mouth to retort, though he knew the monk was right, but he was interrupted by Shippo bouncing of his head.

"LOOK!" Shippo cried as he pointed up in the sky.

Inuyasha and Miroku looked up just in time to see a massive dragon fly overhead, his huge shadow blanketing them in darkness as it made its way across the forest. Its purple scales glittered like amethyst jewels in the sunlight as its golden slitted eyes scanned the forest as its golden mane whipped behind in the wind. It was a beast dragon, with a wide gold belly and fore arms and legs with massive wings unlike the serpent ones they had frequently encountered on their journey. It was so quick that they felt the wind from its beating wings and it looked like a blur as it climbed lower to the ground.

"Wow! It's so fast!" stated Shippo in awe as he watched the mystical being of legend continue its flight over the dead forest with such surprising speed that it seemed to get smaller and smaller in every blink of his blue eyes.

"Almost like it's running from something…" said Miroku, his face serious as his own purple eyes scanned the sky. The others followed his example, looking for the dragon's pursuers. It didn't take them long to see what it was flying from.

A black mass came flying toward the disappearing purple figure. It was so large it blocked out the sun as it descended toward the purple dot in the distance that was the dragon. Inuyasha didn't even have to look twice to know what it was.

Naraku's army of demons.

And Kohaku was at its front on the back of a flying centipede demon, shooting arrows from a long wooden bow at the bulk of the dragon. Inuyasha could feel the poisonous aura reflecting of off them as they perched the dragon's hide on its back, obviously catching it by surprise.

The dragon roared in anger and pain as it crashed into the ground, sending up dust. Kohaku waited around it, waiting for the dust to disperse. When the smoke cleared they didn't see a dragon. It was as if it had disappeared out of thin air! Kohaku gestured to his minions and they began to fan out, searching for it.

"Where did it go?" asked Shippo as he too scanned the forest. How could a creature that big to leave that huge crater just suddenly vanish?

"I don't know…" Inuyasha said grimly, kneeling and tensing his legs to jump. "But if Naraku sent his army after it then it has a jewel shard or two!" He hopped into the air, his feet barely touching the tree limb he had landed on before springing to the next branch at an incredible speed. He heard the yowl of Kirara as she changed to her full form and knew that the others would be by him in a matter of seconds, Kirara being able to smell him and the dragon and will probably catch up to him soon enough. He noted momentarily that his speed was much faster, probably due to the fact that Kagome was no longer on his back and he felt a pang of guilt and lose enter his heart.

Kagome…he wondered if she was awake by now…if she was ok…

Don't worry Kagome. I'll get you back if it's the last thing I do!

* * *

Katana charged through the woods, tree branches and thorns smacking her in her dirty face as the demon horde descended upon her. She quickly used a clawed hand to pull the poisonous arrows from her back, now covered with her own crimson blood. By the effect the poison was already having on her body, she could only guess that they were coated with a mixture of miasma and dragon's bane.

Damn…

Her curly brown hair flowed behind her caked with mud and knots and her feet were becoming raw from the thorns and stones. Her long legs carried her to a speed beyond that of any speed she had ever gone as she tried to force her legs to go even faster. Sweat began to bead on her tan skin as her purple eyes nervously looked for any demons.

She looked down to her chest, where she could see the flow of her magic weakening, about to flicker out completely as her breath come in short gasps as she came up to a dead end, the cliff side before her and the demons behind her boxing her in. Bare of anything but the shards stabbing her palm as she clutched them tightly, Katana turned around and faced her enemy as they edged closer, determined to go down fighting.

* * *

Kagome quickly followed the little girl down the dark hallways; its massive arches loomed overhead with such a sinister beauty that Kagome looked in awe. It was so quiet she could hear the silks of her large kimono drag on the ground as Rin and her footsteps became lost in the infinite silence of the castle. What light there was came from the line of candles in the walls if the hallway, little beacons of yellow light in the shadows. She listened as Rin pointed out each of the rooms as they made their way down the long twisting tunnel and identified them: "That's Jaken's room, that's my room, that's Sesshy-sama's study (but you can't go in there), that's the library…"

As Kagome listened to the child rattle on, giving her a tour, Kagome began to realize that this was not an ordinary Japanese castle. It was far too big with many extra rooms! However she did make a point to remember where Sesshomaru's study was, looking at all the surrounding objects to try and find a landmark. She settled on a picture of a beautiful woman with silver hair that was to the left of the door, between it and the library door. She knew that if Sesshomaru had a map, it would be in one of those two rooms. She would need it if she planned to escape tonight.

"Is it always this dark?" Kagome asked uncomfortably, watching the shadows creep into the corners. She wouldn't have given them a second thought if not for the feeling she was being watched. "It's not dark!" Rin replied without even turning around, making Kagome realized it must always be dim.

Kagome's skin crawled as she examined her surroundings. She would have never guessed Sesshomaru like the dark so much.

"Rin, are there servants?" Kagome asked while walking even closer to the little girl. She just couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. She knew there had to be servants because though it was dark, the place was clean and orderly and she doubted that Jaken could do all that. Not to mention she kept sensing youkai jaki all around her, but she couldn't see anyone. It really unnerved her.

Rin nodded, brown braid bouncing with her movements as she continued their tour of the castle. "Of course Sesshy-sama does! Jaken-san can't do everything for him! They rarely come out during the day time though unless it's dark. The sunlight bothers them."

Ok. That explained the darkness. What kind of youkai were they to fear sunlight? Kagome guessed she would just have to meet one of them.

"And this is the garden," Rin announced, opening a wooden door. Kagome glanced through it and was surprised when she felt the warm caress of vapors instead of the bitter wind of winter. She stepped through the door to find something nothing short of a little paradise.

Before her laid a natural hot spring about the size of a huge swimming pool, its depth varying from what looked like 3 feet to about 10 feet in some places as a steamy mist flowed off of its smooth surface, making Kagome want to do nothing sort of stripping down and submerge herself in its soothing waters.

The hot springs constant flow of heat also made the rest of the garden possible.

The moisture from the vapors coated the variety of plants from daisies to lilies to even sakura trees. During the winter, when these flowers should be dead they instead flourished in the tropical atmosphere, able to preserve their beauty all year long.

Kagome found her self walking through the garden, which seemed to be as big as her house and about as tall, surrounded by a glass dome that was almost completely covered by vines and foliage. She let the fragrant mist wash over her as she stepped over tree roots and blossoms. When she finally reached the other side of the room, she found a wooden door and felt the stab of cold air hit her ankles as it seeped in through the crack to brush against her warm skin.

"Rin, where does this door lead?" she asked as she turned to find the little girl bending next to a patch of daisies and inhaling their scent. At the sound of her name, Rin jumped up and ran next to Kagome, pointing at the door in question.

"Oh that? That leads out to the courtyard between the gardens and the east wall." She looked around, as if making sure that no one was around before beckoning Kagome closer. Obediently she bent down, leaning close enough so that the girl could whisper into her ear. "There is a door out there that people used to use to run away when the castle was being attacked that leads out the east wall, across a meadow and into the woods."

Kagome looked down at her in disbelief as Rin nodded before continuing. "Hardy anyone goes out that way, even the guards. I use that way to sneak out of the castle all the time! Neither Sesshy-sama or Jaken-san remember that it's there."

Kagome nodded but before she could straighten back up, Rin grabbed the collar of her kimono. "You can't tell anyone ok? If you do, Sesshy-sama will put more guards out there and I won't be able to get out so I help him when he goes out to battles!" Rin's brown eyes met Kagome's silver ones in up most seriousness, begging for her to promise.

Kagome bit her lip in indecision. As much as she didn't like the fact that Rin roamed free in the wilderness where there were youkai, she did understand that Rin probably got bored with staying in the castle all the time and needed to get out on her own every once in a while.

Not to mention, Rin had just given her a possible escape route.

Kagome lifted up a hand with her pinky extended. Rin stared in confusion as Kagome grabbed her hand and extended her own little pinky with its little oval, finger-bitten nail, staring deep into those brown eyes.

"Ok Rin. This is what people in my village so when they make a promise. It's called a "pinky swear". When you want someone to keep a secret, you hold out your pinky finger and the wrap theirs around yours like this." Kagome's slender finger linked with Rin little one, careful not to cut the little girl with a claw. "And you say "I pinky swear". After you do that, they had made an unbreakable promise that they must do everything to up hold."

Rin gave her a skeptical look, not believing her. "You mean no matter what it is?" Kagome nodded seriously. "No matter what, and now that I had made one with you, I can never tell anyone your secret."

"What if Sesshy-sama makes me pinky swear not to tell you he was going to kill you in your sleep? I don't want you to die."

Kagome winced. She could hardy picture the Taiyoukai making a "pinky swear" with the little child nor did she think that he would distress his ward with such news but the rest seemed like something he would do. She pressed a clawed finger to Rin's button nose in affection while smiling. "Well I would think that even though you love Sesshy-sama that you should tell me. It would be the same if I told you I was going to kill him, though that would never happen. You can only break it in a life or death situation."

Rin let out a breath in relief and Kagome giggled. This girl was just too cute! She would really miss her when she left…

Suddenly Rin gasped as if remembering something and grinned widely at Kagome. "I want to show you the golden room!" She exclaimed excitedly as she grabbed Kagome's sleeve and dragged her through the garden back in the direction they had come. Kagome allowed herself to be dragged, walking slightly faster than the girl dragging her so that the child wouldn't rip the fabric as Rin whirled out of the room, pausing only to close the door as she led Kagome further down the dark hallways.

Kagome could only follow, unable to keep track of their position in the castle as rooms and feeder hallways spun by, wondering what on earth the "golden room" was and why Rin was so excited by it.


	6. Japanese Rollercoaster Ride!

**Chapter 6: Japanese Rollercoaster Ride!**

Rin made such a sharp turn that Kagome thought that the little girl was going to rip of her arm in her excitement as she changed direction to go down a separate hallway from the first. This one was even darker, less used and Kagome felt the silk slippers drag and lift up clouds of dust about her feet. Why was this part of the castle untouched by servant hands? Where exactly was Rin taking her?

She continued to be dragged for a few more minutes and was relieved when the long, dark hallway finally ended; stopping at two large oak double doors that had shafts of light pouring through the cracks. Before she could say a word, Rin anxiously threw open the doors, a sudden blast of dim white light momentarily blinded Kagome as she stumbled into the new room.

When her vision cleared and her eyes adjusted to the brightness after being the dark so long, Kagome found herself in a gorgeous ball room.

She rested a hand on the polished wood of the spiral staircase leading down to the floor and stood in awe at the magnificence of the room. The walls and wood were a golden color, carved with images of dog demons as it glittered prettily in the dim light that reflected off the crystal chandelier that towered high above the overly spacious floor. On the ceiling were also painted pictures of demon dogs, glorious in the clouds of the heavens as they watched imaginary ball guests enjoy themselves. Its floor was massive with perfect wooden tiles that shone a golden color as they lead out on to a huge balcony at the far wall of the room, with white pillars and glass doors to keep out the snow and wind. In fact, she could see the fury snow for the whole wall on the side of the balcony was nothing but pane after pane of glass.

Utterly beautiful… Kagome thought, trying in vain not to gape.

But as she made her way to the start of the steps, she paused as she began to notice how deserted it was. The room was dim using only the light of the winter day that shone through the windows, lacking the torches that were present all throughout the castle. Dust had collected upon furniture covered in white sheets and on the floors in which people used to dance on, the only thing that danced now were the shadows and dust that flew across the wall in a fast blur. This room had not been used in a long time.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a giggle to her left and she looked down to see Rin standing beside her at the top of the spiral staircase, smiling at her awe. "Pretty isn't it? I come here all the time!" Kagome could only nod, still dazed by the room's beauty, only partly diminished by the dust and shadows. "Yes it is very pretty." She mumbled in response.

In her mind, Kagome could just picture how it must look when it was used! The wood and titles gleaming with their destined hue as the chandler shone brilliantly, candles making its many crystals shine brightly so that they sent sparkles of light whirling across the decorative walls and dog cravings. Kagome closed her eyes… she could hear the band playing a waltz while figures in ball dresses and tuxedos laughed as they drank champagne out on the balcony, enjoying the warm night air or sitting on the covered furniture, conversing with one another as they waited for the next dance. She imagined that she could feel the beat of the dancers' steps as they twirled on across the floor with much flourish and enthusiasm, like the pounding of a heart as their footsteps beat as one with the pulse of the music.

Ok. Maybe her imagination was making it out to be more like the scene of the ball party from "The Sound of Music" instead of Feudal Japan but hey give her points for creativity!

For what seemed to be the millionth time that day, Kagome was forced out of her pondering by the impatient tugging on her kimono sleeve. She looked down at Rin, who wore a sly smile as her eyes glinted mischievously. Kagome eyed her suspiciously; she had known too many little girls, having been one her self, to know that that particular look didn't bode well.

"Watch this!"

With the quick speed only a child of her size could muster, Rin hopped on the sturdy wooden rail of the stairwell and began the steep, spiral decent to the titled floor. Kagome reached out to stop her but only grabbed air as the girl slid from her grasp.

"RIN!" Kagome gasped in horror as Rin screamed in excitement, her high pitched voice bouncing off the walls and answered with a echo that fill the cavernous room before as she hit the ground at the end of the stair railing. She braced herself as she landed on her knees with a sickening thud and she slid a good 10 feet before stopping in the middle of the dance floor. Kagome worriedly hurried to the ledge, leaning over the railing as she watched the kneeled girl lie motionlessly on the floor, pants rip themselves from the girl's shaking chest. "ARE YOU OK!" Kagome cried out in anxiety to the small figure.

To her utter relief, Rin got up from her landing spot, hopping up and down happily while flashing Kagome that innocent grin of hers. "THAT IS SO FUN!" she exclaimed with renewed enthusiasm.

Kagome giggled at her little girl and her own nervousness. The girl probably does this all the time!

Rin continued hopping up and down in her little cute way while waving a hand frantically at Kagome. "YOUR TURN!" she all but screamed at her, continuing to beckon Kagome to join her. Kagome laughed aloud, letting her laughter chase away any dregs of uneasiness that she had felt when Rin had slid down the stair well. "Honey I'm too old." She replied while still giggling. Her? Riding a stairwell like a 5 year old? The very idea!

Rin stopped her bouncing and stared up at Kagome's figure still at the top of the stairs, confusion marring her childish features. "How can you be too old to do something fun?" she asked, as if the idea had never occurred to her in her entire life.

Kagome paused in mid-response, considering the interesting point that the child had just made. She used to do it on her own little stair rail at home when she was little but this was so much bigger than her own, not to mention its spiral design was an interesting change from the straight one she was used to. It really did looking quite… exhilarating when Rin did it. Am I really too old to act like a kid? she thought while staring at the stair rail, as if it would tell her the answer.

Of course not.

She picked up the loose ends of her kimono and sat upon the rail, feeling very awkward as she straddled the thick wood with her bare legs while she grasped the rail in front of her for support, imitating Rin's motions.

"HERE I COME!" Kagome cried in an anxious excitement similar to a little girl's as she pushed off the ground with her feet and began her own steep descent. The wind blew back her braid and the loose trails of the kimono, causing it to flutter against her legs as she gained speed and slid further down the railing in a spiral motion. She went faster and faster, her heart beating as she neared the golden tiles. A trilling scream escaped from her throat like a kid on a rollercoaster; it felt like she was flying!

In a heart beat, she really was flying in the air as she was launched off the end of the rail and onto the golden floor, landing hard on her knees as she skid right by Rin, the dust of the floor preventing her from burning the skin off her knee caps as she suffered a momentarily dizziness that prevented her from immediately getting up. She was panting hard as she felt her adrenaline rush after her flight.

"Did Kagome-chan like it!" Rin asked anxiously while running towards her fallen friend, the shuffling of her silk slippers in the gold wood tile echoing in the silence of the castle room as she glanced at Kagome with excitement in her eyes.

At first Kagome was speechless, worrying Rin momentarily. Did Kagome hurt herself? Thought Rin as she placed a concerned hand on the older girl's shoulder. Did she hate it?

Kagome then startled Rin, who jumped back in reflex as she began to laugh uncontrollably, still trying to catch her breath from the trilling ride. "I haven't done that in years!" Kagome was swarmed with memories of her brother and her riding their stairway banister onto the white tiles of her house…only this was much better! She wondered briefly if she'll ever get the chance to bring Souta here just so he could try it out for himself!

Rin laughed too but was already making her way back to the top, almost sprinting up the stairs as she kept crying, "AGAIN! AGAIN!" Kagome numbly lifted herself up off the floor, ignoring the stiffness of her abused knees, and followed her with long strides for she was almost as eager to so again herself.

Round Two!

Sesshomaru sat in his study, lying down on a pile of silk sitting pillows in front of the low, oak table that served as his desk as he listened to Jaken prattle on in his annoying high pitched voice about what his plans were for today.

"It seems that the current Lord of the Eastern Lands has been over thrown and now there is a new leader of the Dragon Youkai…"

Sesshomaru promptly ignored the imp while letting a clawed finger lightly caressed the pile of papers that were unceremoniously thrown across the desk, as if with a mere touch they would all just disappear. Defending his castle, leading his army in war, controlling local disputes and holding prisoners he can handle without a change in his usual facade but sipping through the paperwork that was constantly bundled in front of him always brought a grimace to his face. It was the most boring and strenuous past of the job, the part that Sesshomaru loathed, having to do it day in and day out but there was always more.

He needed a vacation.

However in these troubled times, he knew better than to leave his castle for more than a day or so unless it was adequately prepared for anything and every thing that could happen in his absence. He groaned. That process would take 5 days at least, not to mention he could only leave for a week or so at the most. He hardly thought it would be worth the all trouble for just a week of leisure time, only to come back to find the work waiting for him all over again.

"…and then Milord, the servants and soldiers are more than curious about the wench's presence in the castle…"

Sesshomaru snapped out of his thoughts and sat up at the mention of the human, his interest fully on Jaken. What has she done now?

"Why are they curious? Surely they have seen a human before." He asked trying to keep the curiosity out of his voice. He had been waiting for some sort of information about her for a few hours now: he wanted to know more about her personality so he would know how to react when she did strange or infuriating things, to his optimum amusement. He thought of it as a predator stalking a prey: finding out the victim's behaviors so the stalker would know how to use their weaknesses against them.

Jaken shook his head, knees slightly shaking for he was afraid of what his master's reaction would be at his next statement. "They…they think that your father's blood may run through you more than they first thought…" he stuttered and was finally silenced by Sesshomaru's piercing glare, feeling that he had done the best he could to gently describe the situation.

What little hope Jaken had that he may get out of this meeting unscathed left when Sesshomaru grabbed the imp's throat with lightning speed and slowly began to squeeze while he forced Jaken's bugged eyes to look at him. "What does that mean?" he asked calm and low, Jaken's sign that he was pretty "upset".

Jaken gasped for air while trying to pry the claws off his neck with his hands, feeling his death was near. He hadn't even updated his will yet! "They…think…gasp…that you may have…gawk…other interests in her…" Jaken managed to choke out, feeling light-headed from the lack of air getting to his lungs.

Sesshomaru felt his anger rise and squeezed the toad harder, like he was a stress-relieving toy. He knew it. His own damn vassals thought he was stupid enough to bed a human like his father had.

Disgusting.

Sesshomaru gave the toad one final squeeze before releasing him, letting the imp fall onto the tiles once again as he panted for air while rubbing his abused throat.

"Jaken, you will see that these rumors are put to justice immediately. If anyone ever questions my motives again, I will see to their punishment personally." If it were about anything else, like him being a cold, heartless bastard of a youkai, he wouldn't have cared less but when it came to damn humans, it got personal.

He had to go through the same routine when Rin was first brought here. For a while she was unsafe in his own household but after some time, because she was so young, the other youkai treated her as one of their own. Though most demons are killing machines, there are many who couldn't or wouldn't bring themselves to hurt a human child, like a full grown dog would kill the kitten's mother but not the kitten, knowing instinctively that it wasn't right to attack one that couldn't properly defend itself. It was only the weaker, more desperate youkai that tend to pry on the young, not the powerful ones.

However he had a feeling that his vassals would hardly take to the other human…now more hanyou than anything…like they had Rin, considering her age and current condition. He had expected it and was content that she was only staying two weeks more. If the whispers of her where just curiosity and misread observations, he wouldn't have minded but throw him and this…human wench in a totally out of proportion relationship and heads will roll!

Jaken opened his mouth as soon as he had his breath to gasp a response when a faint shriek reached Sesshomaru's ears. He quickly slapped his hand over the imp's beak like mouth for silence as he listened, his demon hearing catching every little sound from the flicker of torches to the footsteps of the servants. At first there was nothing but the usual sounds of the castle but then, once again very faint, scream, obviously female and obviously a child.

Rin!

Sesshomaru released a struggling Jaken, sending him once again to the floor as he bolted from his study and down the hallway, going so fast that his boots barley touched the floor as the rooms flying by him seemed to blur.

He heard another scream, this time the deeper tone of the older girl that seemed to be getting louder and to his right. He turned down the unused hallway, recognizing it as the old passage to the ball room.

What in bloody hell were they doing there?

More screams. Sesshomaru pushed himself to go even faster as he saw the bright outline of the doors in front of him…

Kagome hit the floor and slid for what seemed like the hundredth time, once again surprised that the rush was still the same when she had first ridden on it. No wonder she and Souta used to do this for hours on end! It didn't seem like it was going to get old anytime soon!

She rose as Rin's impatient tugging at her kimono forced Kagome to drag herself up and race the girl back up the stairs to ride the banister once again. And once again Rin was first down the stair rail, screaming in utter delight as she slid down the rail and was thrown to the floor when she reached the end. Once again Kagome followed suite, sliding down the dusty wood as her braid whipped behind her and once again it felt like she was flying. She felt the rush of adrenaline, the fear and trill as she looked over the edge to see she was still 15 feet from the floor as she continued her spiral descent…the excitement only increasing with the knowledge that one little distraction from her ride could cause her to fall off the side…

Suddenly the doors to the room above her flew open, slamming into the walls behind them as a flash of white stalked into the room. "What is going on!" bellowed Sesshomaru as he came to a stop on the top of the stair well, the layer of dust taking flight up from around his feet as he used them to gracefully stop.

And there was the one little distraction. Trust Sesshomaru to pop in at just the right time and scare the wits out of her, causing her to jump and lose her grip on the rail. Kagome was thrown off the side by her speed and momentum, diving headfirst to a floor that was fast approaching. She threw her arms in front of her face to protect her and shield her from her fate, her mind going wild with thinking things like if I die, I will haunt Sesshomaru if it's the last thing I do, for she seriously doubted she would survive landing on her head from that height.

Suddenly, without her even telling it to, her body curved, throwing her into a spin, pulling her feet over her head so that she landed in a crouched position, her legs taking the shock of the fall as she slammed into the floor with hardly a sound.

She so shocked that all she could do was stare at the arms in front of her face as she tried to process what the hell just happened. Did…did I just flip?

"Kagome-chan! Are you all right!"

At the sound of Rin's cry, Kagome's legs seemed to lose whatever strength they had in them and they bucked, sending Kagome on her butt as she looked up at first to the rail she had fallen from, roughly 15 feet above her and then at Rin's concerned face as the younger girl ran to her, her brown eyes full of concern.

"Yeah…I think so…" Kagome said, unsure and stilled amazed as she looked down at her legs with a dazed expression. Then she started laughing, unable to control herself as she began to howl like a lunatic. "That was so cool!" She really wasn't sure why she was laughing...she supposed she subconsciously did it to reassure Rin…and herself.

Rin jumped back, staring at her in a perplexed way (probably wondering what "cool" meant) but then too started laughing, more out of relief than anything else. Sesshomaru leaned over the railing of the landing above her, finding no humor in the situation.

Ok. He supposed seeing fall her flat on her ass had some humor in it.

"Kagome-chan is so funny isn't she Sesshy-sama?" asked Rin, looking at him innocently as he glared down at them.

Sesshomaru didn't even answer as he turned and made his way back out the doors, slightly annoyed that they had distracted him from his work. Fine… maybe he wasn't too mad considering how much he HATED paper work but nonetheless they should hardly be abusing his stair rails in search of a trill.

Unfortunately he hadn't even gotten to the half broken doors when he was stopped by the wench as she ran between him and the door, standing her ground with her feet shoulder-width apart in a stance of defiance. He groaned; her demon blood must have made her faster if she could get off her ass and up those damnable stairs in five seconds to block his only escape route.

"Why didn't you catch me or something! Where you just going to watch as I snapped my neck!" Kagome asked angrily, her small frame shadowed in his large one as her silver eyes glared into his golden depths.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, annoyed. Oh Kami help him not to punch her. "The welfare of a human is not my concern." He responded as coldly as he could, not missing the shivers that raced up her spine at the sound of the ice in his voice.

Kagome cut him off with a wave of her hand, dismissing his answer. She didn't want to hear his "I'm so much superior than you" crap right now. "You said so yourself… I'm not really human anymore. And even so YOU saved ME from the werewolf when you could have gone about with your business." She crossed her arms over her chest, once again reminding him of the stubborn stance of Inuyasha. Will he ever be free of his brother? It is as if he was working through the girl to drive Sesshomaru into insanity! No wonder they always traveled together.

Kagome clenched and unclenched her fists, claws digging into her palm. She didn't like that look he just gave her. It was a mixture between disgust, hate and annoyance; Kagome couldn't help but feel he was having some unpleasant thoughts about her. Must…not…bash…she thought, desperately wishing for Inuyasha's enchanted necklace right now. At least with that thing, se never felt like she had to physically smash the hanyou. She wanted nothing more that then to keep saying "SIT! SIT! SIT!" over and over again till she got bored of it. She knew he would probably learn his lesson after the first time but the next 99 would just be for the sake of Kagome's amusement as she watch his beautiful face continually pound into the floor.

"Why did you? What have you to gain by my being here?" Her eyes glared back at him with equal force, trying to fill them with as much hatred and disgust she could muster, her eyes searching his for an answer.

Sesshomaru could smell her rage. It was like a fire burning in her soul and enhancing her scent to where it smelled as if the roses were on fire. It was quite… interesting was probably the only way to describe it. But he kept his eyes and face frozen, not granting her even the littlest sign of anger or amusement. "I, Sesshomaru Lord of the Western Lands, do not have answer to a mere hanyou."

He could smell her anger rising but also a smug look crossed her features, as if his answer only confirmed her suspicion. "You want to trade me to Inuyasha for the Tetsusaiga don't you?" she asked, more of a statement than a question as she kept her voice low and calm with a slight edge, as if daring him to tell her otherwise.

Outside he looked unmoved but inside he was taken back. He had even no hint whatsoever to imply that that is why he tolerates her presence. How the hell did she figure it out? "And how did you come to that conclusion?" he asked after a moment, realizing that he would have to ask if he ever wanted to know otherwise this insufferable woman would never reveal it to him.

Kagome's features immediately changed from being positively livid to idly indifferent, her scent changing so fast it was almost staggering. "Well I have been thinking about it for a while." She said as held up a hand to start counting her points off on her fingers as she recited them in monotone.

She extended her pointer finger for point number one, using her other pointer finger to hit it for dramatization. "You don't want me to detect jewel shards like most other demons because you think you don't need them." She tapped her middle finger for the next point, briefly temped to flick him off. "You hate humans and hanyous so you don't have a romantic interest in me…" Thank God! I don't need another Koga on my hands! She thought to herself before continuing, striking her ring finger. "…So I figured you would use me as a bargaining chip to someone. However the only people that would want me would be Naraku and Inuyasha but Naraku is also your enemy so you don't want to help him to get advantage by having the jewel shards." She held up her pinky for the last point, obviously her conclusion. "Inuyasha has the Tetsusaiga, which you have shown no restraint in expressing your desire for, and you think he'll trade it for me." She said the last statement with a slight note of finality, her eyes idly watching him for his reaction to her deduction.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised at her show of intellect. She was quick…for a human. He smirked, the corner of his mouth rising ever so slightly as he remembered his conversation with Inuyasha earlier that day.

He stood up even straighter as he walked up to Kagome, who stood very still and stiffened visibly as he closed the gap between them. Once again, her heart pounded in fear as he stood only a foot away from her but she glowered at him suspiciously, not trusting him and half expecting him to hit her for some reason or another.

"And what about the fact that I could sell you to the other Taiyoukai? Attractive human slaves are in high demand." Sesshomaru said in mock tenderness as he used a claw to brush a stray ebony strand of hair behind her pointed ear.

Kagome winced as he caressed her cheek and ear, only making her even tenser at his intentional show of ridicule at his own movements of comfort as he derided her. If he touched her again, she swore she would break his hand off!

Then again, she couldn't stop the lurch that her heart made at the mention of him selling her to other demons. The thought was enough to terrify any mortal…then again any one was better than Sesshomaru at this point.

She sighed in resignation. Ok. She didn't mean that. There were worse demons out there; she could give Sesshomaru at least that. Of course he would probably slay her for such an insult if she ever told him that…

"Who would want to buy a filthy hanyou?" Kagome spat out, turning the tables as she imitated the manner in which Sesshomaru used when referring to her kind, filling her voice with as much resentment as possible. She even shot him a look of pure revulsion similar to his own for effect, slightly pleased at the reaction she was receiving for her performance for Sesshomaru was all but gaping at her, almost in disbelief. She was mildly astonished, for he always tried to conceal any emotion he may be experiencing at the moment with his usual semi-hostile countenance but that probably wasn't used to the verbal attacks of a human woman. He must not have had very many people scoff at him to his face!

Sesshomaru just gawked at Kagome for a moment, not believing what had just happened. Did…did she just mock him? He was pretty certain she had.

Death…that was the only thing running though his mind. He wanted nothing more than to slaughter her in an extremely creative way involving lots of blood, heal her with the Tenseiga and then do it all over again in other equally imaginative and violent methods. He was sure that after the first time she would realize her mistake, but the next 99 times would be purely for his entertainment.

However the logical part of his mind nudged its way into his thoughts of gleefully slicing her into bits, overcoming his emotions immediately as it made an interesting point: this was what she wanted. She wanted him to react; wanted him to bicker with her as if they were equals, which they were most certainly not! Losing control would only give her power and Sesshomaru didn't want to give her an edge. And he was sure it would drive her completely insane if he didn't give a response to anything she said or did, like one would do when trying to break a spoiled child.

Content for now with just visualizing her demise, he supposed he could be the "bigger man" and spare her. After all, if he tried to harm her, she may resort to more desperate means of defense like attacking him or his other youkai. He knew she didn't have any control over her new body and powers…last thing he wanted was a werewolf going on a rampage in his own castle. He was slowly figuring her out and it had only been a few hours! As he had said before: humans are so predictable…

"What did you mean by you think he'll trade it for you?" he asked, changing the subject in a slightly annoyed tone, choosing not to grant a response to her previous comment. He didn't have time to play mind games with hanyous.

Kagome momentarily faltered, disappointed at him not taking the bait. Dammit! He wasn't going to retort! And she had come up with some pretty interesting comebacks too!

Her eyes captured his once again, passionate silver tint clashing with the brutal gold as she gave him a You-Must-Be-Dumber-Than-I-Thought look. "Have you talked to him yet?" she inquired in a faintly sarcastic manner.

Sesshomaru nodded once, becoming a little exasperated as he glared right back at her with equal force. Such disrespect! "I see your point. He is stubborn but two weeks without your presence should change his mind." He said while trying to side step to get past her and through the doors to his salvation from her bothersome company.

"Two weeks?" she asked side stepping with him, remaining firmly planted in front of him. He wasn't going to get away from her that easily! He had some explaining to do!

Sesshomaru gave her a That's-What-I-Said-Stupid look. Two can play at that game. "That's how long I gave them to consider my proposal before I slit your throat because Inuyasha was so hesitant. In other words, you are my guest for two weeks."

Kagome snorted with skepticism. "Guest? More like hostage!" Again her aura flared as she growled "Inuyasha you are so dead when I get back! When I'm through with you, they won't be able to find a body!" She popped her knuckles in a seemingly imitating manner as she stared past Sesshomaru's shoulder, as if his half brother where merely standing behind him, taunting her.

Sesshomaru couldn't prevent the image of this little human battling his brother from entering his mind and the funny thing was, she was actually winning. He chuckled slightly, unable to stop himself.

Kagome heard a faint rumbling from in front of her, so quiet she almost thought she had imagined it if she hadn't seen Sesshomaru's shoulders quiver a little. She gawked at him, mouth delicately agape. Had he laughed just now?

Seeing that she was looking at him with a bewildered expression, Sesshomaru immediately ceased his snicker and gazed down at her with a smirk on his face, knowing just what to say to make her mad again. "You are most amusing human."

Kagome's guise of disbelief instantly turned to a powerful glare and thoughts of punching him. MUST he call her human like she was something out of the trash!

Trying to keep her voice sounding calm but failing miserably, she replied, "It's Kagome. My name is Kagome."

He gazed back at her with utter indifference. Did she really think that he called her "human" or "hanyou" or "wench" just because he didn't know her real name? "I know your name human."

She glared at him even harder, as if the daggers from her look would slice him to pieces. She couldn't believe that he still insisted on calling her "human"! Especially after she had just told him her name, although she was sure he had known it in the first place. Not wanting to let her thoughts go unspoken, she opened her mouth to retort, "Then why do you…?"

Kagome felt a tug at the bottom of her robes and when she looked down, she found herself gazing into big brown eyes that looked up at her pleadingly.

"Can we eat? My tummy is growling!"

Kagome's anger changed to happiness as she kneeled down and touched the little girl's nose with a finger affectionately. "Of course Rin-chan! Race you to the dining hall!"

Sesshomaru watched the two humans energetically took off through the door and down the hallways that ran through his castle like a spider web. He slowly marched behind them, noting that Kagome was letting Rin win.

Thank Kami! Now he could go back to his work without interference…not that he was too enthusiastic to get back anyway.


	7. Inuyasha's Day

**Chapter 7: Inuyasha's Day**

Inuyasha bounded from tree to tree, now leaf-less and dead in the winter as his canine nose picked up the scent of blood of the wounded dragon. It was close…it couldn't have gotten far with those wounds.

Sure enough he soon saw crimson pools of fresh blood spread upon the white snow and caught the stench of demons along with the dragon's, causing him recoil in disgust as he forced himself to run even faster. He didn't know why Naraku's demons were chasing the dragon but even if it wasn't for a jewel shard or two, Inuyasha wanted to get to it first! Inuyasha grinned wickedly as his claws twitched in anticipation. Nothing like denying Naraku the object of his desire to brighten up his day!

A cold raindrop fell on his nose, utterly grasping his attention as the half frozen drop splattered across his face. Curious, he held a hand out, watching the drops start to pool in his palm as he noticed dark clouds rolling in, blanketing the land in shadow and filling air with the clash of thunder and quick flashes of lightning.

Strange… it was sunny a few moments ago. That could only mean a there was a strong demonic force at work. Inuyasha groaned. He could hardly wait.

The rain shortly began to fall down in thick sheets, creating a mist that hampered his sense of smell and made it even more difficult to continue hurdling himself from limp to limp for the branches were now slick with ice. The rain drops were frosty; almost snow as they fell on his head and drenched his clothes. He shivered as the wind suddenly picked up and drove the wet flurry into his face, sucking all warmth from his body. It was chilly before but now it was freezing.

Great, just great; add half-melted snow storm to his list of "Things in Nature That Just Pissed Him Off", right above rain storms but below blizzards and undead miko women.

It was weird though; it was cold enough this time of year to easily turn the frozen rain into snow. It was as if whoever was creating the storm wanted to make their victims freeze from being wet and cold. This was definitely a sign that someone was manipulating the weather.

He glanced to look at the humans and Shippo, who were trying to keep up with him on Kirara. They were shivering and wet; the ends of their clothes and hair were quickly freezing as they huddled closer together to keep warm, Sango holding Shippo in her lap while Miroku embraced her from behind to shield them from the onslaught of bad weather. This was probably one of the only instances Sango didn't slap Miroku for wrapping his arms around her. If it stays like this much longer, they'll catch…what was Kagome's term for it? Hypothermia? Well anyway, they needed shelter and fast…and since he knew this area from his childhood, about 150 years or so ago, he knew just where they could find it too.

He slowed his pace until it matched Kirara's as she bravely battled the wind and snow without much success. Inuyasha had to shout three times to be heard over the howling wind: "KIRARA! THERE IS A CAVE NOT TO FAR FROM HERE TO THE WEST! GET THEM TO SHELTER!"

Kirara nodded and changed direction before the others could protest, which he was sure they would do if they had the opportunity. The cave he had sent them to was even deeper in the Western Lands; Sesshomaru would not be happy with that at all. Not that Inuyasha really gave a flying fuck what Sesshomaru thought. They were heading closer to the heart of the area anyway; to the castle itself. Inuyasha was at least going to make an attempt to rescue Kagome…he didn't want to give the Tetsusaiga up unless he absolutely, positively had to.

Inuyasha continued to follow the trail, plowing through the rain and opposing wind until he lost the scent, due to the weather and his numb nose. By then it really didn't matter for everywhere he looked, he saw blood and the bodies of what must be a good third of Naraku's horde, lying frozen and half buried in the snow, as if they had died of the frost before they had even reached their destination.

Inuyasha snorted before he spat at the corpses. Lesser demons were so pathetic. They weren't even worth keeping unless you had them in infinite numbers like Naraku. Only in packs were they a pain in the ass.

The trees ended in a clearing backed up against a cliff and he could make the backs of most the youkai that had gathered around something in a semi circle. Though he was unable to peer over the bulk of the horde, he could only guess what they were surrounding.

Apparently they found the dragon

He dashed up a huge tree and jumped unseen to the top of the snowy peak of the cliff, peeking over the ledge so he could spy without being noticed. He could now see Kohaku: the boy was standing before the group of youkai in front of a kneeling figure that looked human not dragon, hunched over in pain as its blood spilled from an open wound in its back, obviously from an arrow. Kohaku appeared to be talking and Inuyasha had to strain his ears to hear over the roaring wind and deafening thunder claps:

"…Naraku doesn't want us to kill you for he believes you will be a great asset to him…and only we have the antidote to the poison." Kohaku finished in his usual possessed monotone as he stretched a hand forward, palm up as if expecting to receive something. "Give us the jewel shards and we'll spare you."

Inuyasha growled. He knew it. They had been after jewel shards. Well this sucked ass. If he tried to attack them, he wouldn't be able to guarantee a smooth get away because there were so many youkai and he couldn't use the Wind Scar for fear of harming Kohaku. Sango would not be too pleased if he accidentally killed her younger brother. It wasn't his fault he was doing all this anyway; he was being manipulated by Naraku after all. Inuyasha's best chance was to prevent getting involved in a battle, something he was not good at figuring out how to do. Maybe if the figure would reveal where they had hidden the jewel shards, he could sweep in and snatch them before they surrendered them to Kohaku, avoiding a fight. He tensed, ready do just that if the figure gave the shards up…

To his surprise, the figure raised its head, spitting in Kohaku's face. The possessed boy didn't even flinch as the drop of spit slithered down his cheek as the rain washed over it. "Over my dead body!" the figure hissed, weakly standing up and taking a defensive stance. Inuyasha sighed in annoyance. Why couldn't things just go the way he wanted them to? It would have been so much easier just to steal them! Now this just made things more complicated.

Kohaku was silent, a long pause separating the combatants before he spoke again. "Fine. Have it your way." He reached to grab the Kusari Gama that was strapped to his back, the curved blade of demon bone glittering evilly as he began to spin the weapon in a circle with the long silver chain that was connected to the handle.

The figure hardly seemed intimidated, using their right hand to beckon them to attack. "Come…Omae O Korosu (I'll kill you)." The human sounded completely sure of their abilities, though Inuyasha highly doubted that they were at home in their situation. He sure as hell wouldn't be if he was wounded and facing hundreds of youkai of all types, all out for his blood. It was unnerving to any lone warrior.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, struggling to catch a clear glimpse of the fighter in question before they were hacked to bits. He cursed when he realized that he'd have to get closer to get a good look, thanks to the damnable rain and wind. So much for keeping well out of sight and waiting for a window of opportunity; today really just wasn't his day.

The demons attacked, swarming the figure and making it extremely difficult to observe what was going on. Inuyasha waited a moment, making sure that all the youkai and Kohaku were distracted before he dropped into the trees around the clearing below the cliff. He landed on a thick branch of an old oak, pausing for a moment to ensure that he had not been detected before peeking a head over the brush to figure out who was winning. He would wait until he found out who won and then he'll just simply slay the winner, who would be expended after the skirmish. He was getting those shards no matter what!

Now he had a perfect view of the battle…and couldn't believe what he saw!

There was a NAKED human girl fighting all the demons! Miroku would have died of the cold to see this! He thought, trying not to gawk as she slugged one ogre demon, stealing its tetsubo and using the spiked club to bash the vile thing's head like a melon before kicking snake youkai in the snout to her right, stunning it long enough to club it as well. Black youkai blood splattered on her tan skin, mixing with rain and mud as her own crimson blood flowed from the new, shallow gashes she was receiving from demon claws and teeth. He couldn't really make out her facial features because she was completely covered in grim, but he could see her toned muscles flex as her long legs accurately kicked every demon that came in range, her long hair tangled in knots with stray twigs and muck that wetly slapped her back with her every movement.

He examined her movements with nothing short of awe. Whoever this woman was, she was a damn good fighter. It seemed that she had been trained since she was young for her moments were like second nature, executed with quick, fluid motions: hack, block, bash, kick, punch; her style more like an art form than anything else. It was as if she were merely dancing to the beat of the drum of war as she struck down the lesser youkai with ease while gracefully flittering through the throng, slowly plowing her way toward Kohaku, who stood near the back of the army waiting for her to approach.

She barely spoke as she forced herself forward, not even grunting when her weapon was caught in a demon's chest and she unable to wretch it back. She simply slaughtered the next attacker, robbing him of his Nageyari, the short spear seeming only natural in her grip as she used it to impale yet another demon. Inuyasha was beginning to get the impression that he could hand her any weapon and she would be able to wield it, no matter what it was.

He caught a whiff of a faint fragrance of lavenders buried underneath the stench of blood and gore, enhanced with a vague aroma of magic but soiled with the unpleasant odor that smelled like a fusion of Naraku's miasma and an herb that Inuyasha couldn't identify. Whatever the concoction was, it was turning the flesh around the arrow wound in her back a noticeably unhealthy purple color, so deep it was almost black. Inuyasha's own back tingled when he saw flashes of it when she whipped around quickly to block enemy blows, as if his body were anxious that it may be him with such an injury. It was unreal that she was even standing much less aggressively defending herself. Almost as if she had the energy of a youkai…

Well now that was a puzzle. She smelled similar to a human, looked like a human but fought like a demon, killing more youkai then he cared to count. All he knew was that she had killed more than any regular human would have ever hoped to slay especially injured. Miroku and Sango might have been able to do it, but that was only because he had his sutras and Kazanna (Wind tunnel) and she had been trained from infancy to hunt youkai but he had a feeling even they would have had trouble lasting this long with the combination of poison and loss of blood. What exactly was she? Why was she even here? What happened to the dragon he had assumed to find and possibly battle?

As Inuyasha continued to observe the tide of battle, he noticed that it was shifting to the youkai's favor as they bore down on her, claws slashing at her wildly with their fangs bared. Like he said, lesser youkai were a pain in the ass to kill when in large numbers, even for him. Inuyasha heard her utter the first sound that he had witnessed since she had begun her futile attempt to destroy the mass of youkai; she cried out in pain as a bear demon sliced into her torso, leaving five scarlet claw marks going from her left shoulder and between her breasts to end at the bottom of her right rib cage. Inuyasha winced as her screech of anguish pierced his ears, making him cover them to bar out the noise. He…he just couldn't stand the sound of a woman screaming…it reminded him too much of his mother.

She had screeched like that the day Inuyasha was born…he wasn't sure how he remembered but her voice haunted his dreams since he was little. When he asked her about it, she had told him that someone had murdered her, stabbing her with a yari, its double-edged blade of the spear tearing her flesh as she cried out in pain and fear. She had been dead when Inuyasha was brought into this world but his father had used the Tenseiga to revive her before meeting his own untimely demise, executing her killer. Ever since then, he had not been able to handle hearing a woman scream, his human emotions demanding that he intervene. However he didn't know anything about this human; she could try to butcher him the moment he attempted to aid her, not to mention it would make him Kohaku's next target. This was one fight he really didn't want to interfere with if he could help it.

Kagome would disown me if she knew I was watching a human fight a losing battle and not helping…he thought, the notion bring a grin to his face. He could hear her now: "INUYASHA! GET OUT YOUR LAZY ASS OUT THERE RIGHT NOW AND RESCUE HER THIS INSTANT!" Man he really missed her; she would have figured out a way to save the girl without endangering himself, the person he was trying to salvage or Kohaku. She could even tell him what the girl was, if she was friend or foe, and where the shards were so he could steal them!

Inuyasha was so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn't notice that the woman had stopped screeching a long time ago and was now feebly kneeling on the ground as she tried to cover the blood flow from her new wound with an arm, biting her lower lip to help distract her from the pain as she used her bloody spear to support her weight. Inuyasha could smell the stench of salt coming from her scent; the woman was actually crying! Inuyasha's second weakness! He couldn't stand seeing a woman cry! Now his human side was really demanding that he should help!

"You won't last long now." Kohaku said monotonously, eyes void of any emotion or life as he stared down at her. Inuyasha's spine quivered; seeing eyes like that was always unnerving!

The girl loudly cursed as the demons assaulted her, trying to rip her to pieces as they grabbed at her flesh, searching for the shards they knew she possessed. She grunted as she tried to throw them off her but not succeeding. Inuyasha smelled the scent of lavender and magic grow stronger as she started to glow a purple color, the violet aura pulsing with unreleased energy. She looked in his direction and Inuyasha saw that her eyes too were purple, giving him a long look that was a mixture of sorrow and rage, making him cringe; she knew he was there! When she was sure she had his attention, she jerked her head to her right slightly, indicating that he look in the direction of the cliff. At first he didn't see anything but when he squinted his eyes to get a better look through the wind and rain, he saw that there was a little hallow on the cliff face, just big enough for him to squeeze in if he could jump up to it. He raised an eyebrow in confusion but when he turned his concentration back to the girl, she was no longer paying him any mind as her aura started to spark with little flickers of electricity while she kept a fixed stare on Kohaku.

"See you bastards in hell!" she murmured, the nearest youkai releasing their hold on her, wailing in anguish as they revealed scalded flesh still smoldering, as if she were on fire. Just then his senses practically screamed danger; he jumped into the air in the same instant that she bellowed:

"BLADES OF THUNDER!" Lightning branched off of her form, snaking its way in the air and on the earth in random directions as the water made it easy to travel to the youkai. Inuyasha used his left hand to grasp the edge of the hallow in the side of the cliff that he had observed earlier, grunting as his arm nearly popped out socket with his downward momentum and weight. He hauled up his other hand so it was level with the ledge and clasped on, readjusting his grip before using his legs to propel off the rough earth surface and into the little space. It really was small, more like a crack than anything else but he was able to sit in it, granted he kept his head bowed.

When he peered out of his new hiding space, he saw that most of the demons had been electrocuted, either lying in the snow, still smoking, or twitching uselessly on the ground. Even most the trees had been burned to a crisp, the one had had been in all but collapsing into a pile of char and ash, making Inuyasha silently thankful he managed to bail before the onslaught. He covered his nose as the stench of scorched fleshed reached it, almost feeling sorry for the poor beasts.

Almost.

The rest, however, had been flying youkai and had taken to the sky as he had, avoiding most of the shock. To his relief, Kohaku had been able to mount a large centipede with bat-like wings before the lightning could affect him and was now hovering in the air with whatever was left of his depleted army at his back, watching the limp body of the girl lying on the ground warily, cautious of another trap she may yet have to set.

Inuyasha too glanced down at the figure lying face up in the snow: she was completely motionless except for the shallow rising of her chest, that being the only sign that she hadn't crossed over into death yet. Her eyes looked up blankly at the sky, void of any life of emotion but all consuming pain and weakness as Inuyasha heart twisted a little. She seemed to be staring at him, her eyes boring mercilessly into his soul as if she knew he could help but wouldn't, causing guilt to rise in his stomach like bile.

He had witnessed countless humans die; he had seen the light begin to flicker from their eyes like he was now doing. He had seen his mother's soul leave her old, withered body as he clasped her hand tight, as if he could hang on to it long enough, he could prevent her ascension into the afterlife. There had been wars he was forced to watch, bodies he made himself bury and despite all the humans he had saved, he couldn't help but feel he had seen more breathe their last breath or feel the bad end of his claws when his demonic blood overpowered him. His teeth ground as his fists clenched the ledge he was leaning on, breaking it into rumble. He couldn't prevent his mother's death or the deaths of all those other mortals, especially the ones that perished thanks to him, but he could help this one. She had warned him of her own attack after all. Didn't he owe her something?

Suddenly the solution hit him in the face. He could just do what Miroku had done when he was stealing the jewel shard from Kagome when they first met: he'll simply take the girl, shards and all. He'll just seize her and run away; she had killed so many of the demons now that Kohaku would have trouble pursuing them and if he did, Inuyasha could strike most of them with his Sankontessou (Iron Reaver Soul Stealer). He supposed he could even do a Kazu no Kizu (Wind Scar) as long as he was positive Kohaku could avoid it for a distraction as he snatched her and took off, confident that his speed could outdistance them effortlessly as they took time to recover from the explosion, allowing him more than enough time to find a new hideaway. Even if the girl did try to fight him, she was so weak now that she wouldn't be able to do much damage and besides, why would she signal to the hallow he was currently residing in if she wanted to kill him?

It sounded like a good plan, but he won't know for sure unless he put it into action.

Katana stared up at the cloudy sky, her mind going wild with something to distract her from her anguish as her muscles twitched with the poison that was eating away at her inners. The cold only numbed her partly though she felt that if this was the dulled version of her pain then she would hardly fancy having the full dose. She was barely conscious, grasping onto random thoughts to keep her from passing out completely, knowing full well that if that happened, Kohaku would so no restraint in hauling her back to the Eastern Lands where he now ruled.

Katana knew that this servant of Naraku's had no real intention of butchering her like he claimed: he only gave her enough poison and wounds so that she would only be weakened, becoming manageable enough to be obedient. That bastard Naraku wanted her alive…he needed her alive if he wanted to follow through with his plan. And now that she had seen Inuyasha, who was his number one enemy, she desired nothing more than to die, to end this heinous plot of Naraku's and spare the hanyou the burden of her mission.

She knew Inuyasha; there was hardly any of her family who didn't know who he was. He was the bastard son of the deceased Taiyoukai of the Western Lands after all and was constantly hunting down the shards of the Shikon no Tama. He looked just like his father with his silver hair and golden eyes. She could even see him now as he stared down at her, almost deciding if he should take some sort of action to save her from her demise.

If he knew the truth, he would let her perish. If he could even grasp what was going to happen to him if she lived, he would smite her himself with his fang sword. She wished he would. She prayed he would.

"That took the last of your magic didn't it?" the possessed boy asked, after a long moment as if to ensure that she was indeed alert enough to comprehend what he was saying to her. She didn't answer; not that she could. It was as if her jaws muscles were clamped shut, fighting her every movement as she tried to pry them open to mumble some sort of response. In fact, every one of her muscles seemed to be seizing up, twisting into knots that were slowly paralyzing her, making it hard to even breathe.

The boy began speaking again. "And now the poison is eating your insides. You'll be dead before long. Give us the jewel shards and we'll heal you."

Katana glared at him, letting all the antipathy she felt for his master flow into her mouth muscles, slowly forcing them to move little by little. "I would rather burn in Hell than serve the bastard that killed my family!" she growled through clenched teeth.

Kohaku shook his head in mock pity. "That foolish pride is what is going to kill you." He pointed and the rest of the demons, the flying ones who avoided the lightning attack, flew down to devour her, diving with their mouths wide as if anticipating the taste of her flesh, though she knew better. She braced herself…

"Kazu no Kizu!" Inuyasha cried as he jumped out of his hiding place and swung his sword. Powerful light came off it in a devouring wave, killing everything it touched; the diving demons didn't have enough time to turn around and ran right into the wave, their flesh being torn apart. Kohaku thankfully flew up to avoid the wave, pausing a moment before making a hasty retreat with the slaughter of his army and the appearance of Inuyasha. Behind his back he threw a bomb that was headed right in between them in a feeble attempt to kill them both.

Inuyasha threw himself on the girl just as the bomb hit the frozen ground to protect her from the explosion. He felt them sink into the snow as the fire flew over his back, burning the ends of his hair and ears but was mostly protected by his fire rat kimono. He felt her hands tightly grip the front of his shirt as the fire whipped around them, her hair becoming burned as well while she was muttering something that he couldn't make out through the roar of the fire.

In a moment the explosion was gone, disappearing as fast as it had come. Nothing remained of it but a few random fires burning the fallen corpses of the demons. Surprised he noticed that the freezing thunderstorm seemed to have vanished completely, as if Kohaku's retreat was the sign that it should cease though it was still cloudy. He felt the girl become limp underneath him and her breathing became almost silent as he sat up off of her and checked her pulse. Weak but it was there. He idly looked back at the retreating figures disappearing into the night sky, perplexed at the turn of events.

Ok. That was easier than he had thought. He had expected to have to haul the girl while trying to outrun Kohaku through the woods but this works too. He turned his attention to the girl as she began to regain consciousness, sure that she felt absolute pain from the way her muscles twitched uncontrollably and not the shivers of cold.

"If you plan to kill me, do it now…" She whispered in a horse voice. It sounded hallow and husky as if she were weak and in anguish. He also caught a tone of… desperation? Did she really want him to kill her?

Her breath became shallow as she lost consciousness again; making almost invisible clouds in the cold while his own came in a thick fog. Her chest barely rose and fell as the cold wind danced across it, sending shivers under her tan skin. He looked down at his red kimono and saw blood on it. Her blood. She was lying in a pool of it, the red liquid staining the snow.

He ran a finger in the pool and put it into his mouth, tasting it.

Her blood was…he didn't know how to describe it. He still couldn't tell what she was: whether she was human, youkai or hanyou but it was sweet, almost like mild honey with the slight metallic taste so associated with blood of all kinds.

Tastes good… he thought and his demon side hungered for more, wanting to put more of the crimson liquid into his mouth, but he resisted. It was getting harder and harder to do so lately; it was as if his demon side was restless, begging to be released from its prison, even when he was holding the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. Just one more reason he didn't want to surrender it to Sesshomaru: if it was this difficult to restrain his demon side now with the Tetsusaiga, he could only imagine what it would be like without the Tetsusaiga and with Kagome around…

He smelt her, the incense of lavenders invading his nose and he saw that it must be coming from the necklace around her neck, the only thing that seemed to be present on her body. He reached down, pulling it closer to him and saw that the incense bottle was surrounded with little gold dragons entwining around each other, probably used to cover up any scent she had that could tell what she was, even though he was pretty sure it was the human at this point.

If she was true youkai, she would have been able to kill all of the lesser youkai easily but she didn't seem to have any of the more common hanyou traits either like claws and such. He wondered how a human could possess so much magical power. She was even stronger than Kagome, even though she hadn't reached her full miko power strength yet. This girl didn't LOOK like a miko nor did she have the same feel that Kagome or Kikyo had when he was around them. Just because he was half, it didn't mean he didn't feel the purification powers when they used them. He did feel as though he had met her before which was weird because he was sure he had never seen her in his entire life. He did even know what she was much less who she was!

He pulled off his haori and put it around her limp body, wrapping it the best he could while his hands occasionally caressed her bare skin which was as cold as ice. His touch seemed to rouse her once again because she started to groan and squirm in the snow like Kagome did when he woke her up early in the morning. Kagome was an awful morning person.

He gently leaned down, sliding his arms around her body with one arm around her shoulders and the other behind her knees, picking her up bridal style as she gave an involuntary cry of pain when her body tensed in his grasp.

"What are you doing!" she hissed through the pain. She wanted to scream at him to let her go… that she only brings death and wasn't worth saving but she couldn't: the poison had its hold on her again, her anguish was as if acid were slowly eating away at her body underneath her skin as her muscles stiffened to take the abuse.

Inuyasha didn't even glance down as he responded, "Saving your ass…" He then started to walk carefully, trying not to jar her and cause her even more pain as he wove his way through the dead woods. His golden eyes searched the woods carefully, hoping there were no demons around otherwise they would become attracted to the smell of her blood dropping in the snow, now that the rain that could have sniffled its scent was gone. If they attacked, it would be even harder to save her now that he was carrying her like this.

"Where are you taking me!" she demanded weakly through gritted teeth once again, the muscles in her jaw involuntarily clenching so hard that they were being to burn with the strain. She had to get away from him! Naraku would come after her sooner or later and he would kill him! She couldn't stand being responsible for any more deaths. She tensed for a struggle, ignoring the protest of her body, who wanted nothing more than to surrender to his safe embrace and let him take care of it.

He glared at her in annoyance but kept walking, not thinking her able to do anything rash at this point. She probably thought he was going to rape her or something. He would have to answer her questions.

"You are poisoned and losing a lot of blood. I'm taking you to my friends so they can treat you." He responded, not looking down at her, not wanting to see her reaction. He gave her an answer didn't he?

She paled. Friends! He had friends! Friends equaled bigger death count in her mind. She glared at him as desperation sparked in her soul. "I don't need your help!" She spat out, trying to sound as hateful as she could. Didn't he realize that she didn't want to go with him? She was trying to save him! To save him, she needed to die or at least not with him!

She coughed and her body convulsed as a wave of pain shot through her, forcing her to unintentionally tighten her grip on him; her long nails digging into his skin through his undershirt as her breath came in short, labored gasps, more like hisses through clenched teeth. Inuyasha almost dropped her but caught himself as her nails began to draw blood as they tore into his shoulder muscles as her eyes began to turn white, turning her into what looked like some tortured undead corpse.

He shivered. Creepy.

Finally the pain subsided, letting her relax as she momentarily accepted defeat and allowed him to carry her slowly through the icy trees for while before speaking again.

"What do you want from me?" she demanded weakly, even more so than before. Her voice was now a mere horse whisper into the winter air.

He ignored her question. Well it looks like she didn't trust many people and as much as he could respect her position he was very tempted to tell her to shut the fuck up!

Katana was in the middle of thinking he had rocks for brains, taking a dangerous person into his group's company but then she comprehended what his other intentions were: he wanted the jewel shards she had! As much as she would like to leave, he wouldn't let her go unless he had the jewel shards and if she was to live in some fashion or another, she needed them to protect her from Naraku! She couldn't hand them over! There were too many things at stake for those shards!

"Well if it's the jewel shards you want then you can't have them!" She cried as she punched him in the face as hard as she could, her strength being fuelled by fear and desperation alone. Inuyasha was taken by surprise at A) the fact the now dubbed "wench" had even punched him and B) that she had struck him brutally right in his temple, rendering him immobile with pain and forcing him to drop the wounded wench on the ground. She cried out when she slammed into the forest floor, thankful that the snow some what helped cushion her fall, and she tried to scramble away but the pain slowed her down, every muscle in her body seizing up again while screaming with her every move.

She didn't get very far when Inuyasha recovered, mildly lightheaded from the blow to his temple accompanied by a major headache as he dove at her, grabbing her by her middle and aggressively holding her to his chest while she struggled and cursed, holding to retch herself out of his hold. Even as weak as she was she was a handful; she was almost his size and nothing but muscle! Not to mention that the profanity muttered from her mouth was far more impressive than anything he could ever come up with, and that was saying something. He would give her points for creativity if most of her mumbled insults weren't directed at him. Kagome had called him "baka" plenty of times but never "moronic son of a bitch!"

Fortunately for him, another wave of pain washed over her, once again making her go through the whole seizure routine as he held her tight till it passed, making certain she didn't bite her tongue or anything. When it was over, she slumped weakly in his arms; barely conscious and Inuyasha took that moment to pick her up again, running as fast as he could to friends, warmth, shelter, and, most importantly, RAMEN.


	8. It's Been a Long Day

**Chapter 8: It's been a Looooooooong Day!**

Problem: X+4 to the 3X-54th power / 2a to the 5X+76th power cube rooted multiplied by 89X+130 squared + 1000a-6000 squared ?

Kagome's answer:_ I don't know nor do I even give a rat's ass!_

At least that is what Kagome wanted her answer to be. Unfortunately she did care; thanks to college she was forced to care if she wanted to graduate. When the in "real world" will students actually have to use Calculus anyway?

She sighed as she threw down her pencil in frustration on the silk bed spread that she was currently sitting on, desiring to do nothing short of throwing the damnable text book against the wall. When she graduated high school, she should have just taken the year off like her mother said but no:

_"Mom, college is different from high school. I don't actually have to attend the classes! I just have to go the first week, get the syllabus and books and then do the work while I travel. As long as I turn in the important work on time and study for the finals, I should be just fine."_

Oh what a fantasy she had been living in when she had said that! It was Tokyo University she was supposed to be attending after all; she was still surprised that they accepted her with all her absences and dropping grades, though she had to admit she kicked some major ass on the entrance test thanks to weeks of long days and sleepless nights. As expected of the toughest college around, not only did she find it hard to do all the work they gave her, much less turn it in on time, the finals are coming up and she had no idea what would be on it nor did she understand the material.

_Peachy. Just peachy. I'm going to flunk out of college like I almost did high school. Thanks a lot Inuyasha. I am eternally in your debt._

Kagome flopped down from her sitting position to her back on the evaluated floor pallet, its fur covers caressing her skin as she sighed again, using one hand to grasp a watch on the nightstand that read 8:32 PM (good thing she had brought a battery powered lamp to work by) while using two fingers on the other to try to rub the tension headache she always got when dealing with difficult math homework and stubborn Hanyous though she was lacking the latter.

She had to admit though: hunting jewel shards with Inuyasha was certainly more fun than math homework or being held hostage by the "Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands".

She looked around the room, still wondering if she was actually in the Feudal Era or in some fancy hotel that mocked it. She had to give Sesshomaru this; he definitely had an expensively comfortable taste when it came to his home.

The room's floor and walls were made of polished wood that practically radiated with the scent of old oak (it was strange how smells seemed to jump out at her now) while the bed spread she was currently on was soft black fur that was probably a bear pelt and Kagome felt a surge of pity flow through her as she though of the animal that used to wear it; it must have been a truly beautiful creature. Next to her bed was a low oak nightstand that was now cluttered with all her books and things from her own time while in the corner was a wardrobe, much like Rin's, that she could only imagine to be filled with more clothes that were appropriate for this era. She sighed. She much rather be wearing her own clothes; at least she knew she would wreck those without worrying about paying some sort of price, probably her welfare.

However, her favorite feature was the huge window, only partly covered with deep blue silk curtains that revealed a land of snow and ice. She was on the second floor so she could see for miles as the slowly drifting snow blanketed the landscape. She wasn't fond of the cold; she liked Spring and Summer much better but it didn't mean she couldn't be awed by the beauty if nature in all its phases.

Plus, only a mad person would hate snow.

And last but not least, above her sliding door hung a tapestry; it was beautifully done, the workmanship obviously done by demon hands and with much skill and patience. It was simple: a crescent moon with sakuras in a wreath at its base, no doubt Sesshomaru's crest. It kind of made her wonder about how that sort of thing was done; do they simply take the crest of their father's or do they make their own when they come to rule? And if they did make their own, why did Sesshomaru chose this one?

She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. She shouldn't be giving herself a migraine thinking about things that didn't matter.

Granted her room wasn't as nice as Rin's and she could only mentally picture what his must look like, she had to appreciate that he gave her such a fabulous room to stay in, instead of the dungeon she had half-expected to be thrown into.

Good things about Sesshomaru: one. Bad things about Sesshomaru….she had lost count a loooooooong time ago.

She wiggled on the bed covers, feeling cold despite her red pajamas but not wanting to rise so she could crawl underneath them while she reached for her portable CD player, wanting some music to relax her mind and relieve the ache that settled between her eyes. She feared that if she did climb into bed, she would go to sleep and slumber right through the opening of her escape attempt around midnight.

She flipped through her CD book and took out My Chemical Romance: Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge to shove into her CD player, putting on the head phones and nodding her head as the first song "Hellena" came on, one of her favorites. She yawned widely and felt the American rock music somewhat revive her though she could probably use a coke right about now for the caffeine rush. Today had been tiring…

It was strange feeling so exhausted after only one day of being here: she began to wonder idly if it was because she had not done anything for a whole week or that Rin was the most energetic girl she had ever encountered.

After the whole stair sliding incident with Sesshomaru and they had a snack, Rin didn't hesitate to demand that Kagome commence with the torture of entertaining her. Rin was adorable and Kagome usually loved playing with little kids but the girl didn't know the meaning of the phrase "I'm tired. Can we do this later?"

They played practically all day: drawing, coloring, tag, hide and go seek (Kagome had gotten lost in the huge castle…) and pretty much everything else one could think of. The girl had amazing stamina! Kagome was exhausted merely chasing her around the castle, trying to prevent the girl from causing as much trouble as she could. As much as she was now fond of the girl, Rin was spoiled. She didn't listen to any one but Sesshomaru; not even Jaken could control her!

Kagome had also noticed that Sesshomaru really wasn't around much. He was always patrolling his boarders, in his study or the library and even when he was around he was so serious, barley speaking at all. Every time he came about, Rin was so excited so Kagome just guessed he didn't hang out much but he was the only father figure Rin has ever had so she just guessed Rin got used to it.

Though he was barely around, Kagome still thought it was too much! Just thinking about him made her want to pull her hair and scream in frustration and anger.

Sesshomaru was really starting to get under her skin. He made her so mad! She hated the way he stared at her with his cold emotionless eyes; the way his handsome face was always so calm, showing no emotion; his conceited and superior air as he walks and commands. At first she tried to not pay him any attention, hoping that if she ignored him, he would ignore her.

As if.

It seemed that her little ploy only succeeded in having him focus more on her. Mostly he was silent but when he did speak, it was always a command or an insult or a correction and if that weren't enough, he never once directly used Kagome's name.

Human… yes, hanyou… sometimes, wench… of course, Kagome… NO!

And the way he was always RIGHT! Even about the most trifle things he had to be right and it was only made worse with that he really was always right! His lack of emotion and caring about the feelings of others was really getting on Kagome's last nerve!

Kagome's anger subsided as she remembered the soften looks he gives Rin. Around her he seems to let his guard down, letting flickers of affection appear in his eyes when he thinks no one is looking. Those little moments shared between Sesshomaru and Rin made Kagome forgive him and knowing he was capable of feeling something made him bearable.

Kagome had even gone so far as to unpack her bag and show Rin all the things from her time, in hopes they will capture her attention for a while so that she could rest. She had Rin listen to the CD player, play the game boy she had brought for Shippo (she had Mario Brothers 3), let Rin play with all her modern clothes (they were a little big for her) and make up, and such. Unfortunately, Rin was like an A.D.D. child: as soon as Kagome had her situated with an activity and had laid down to take a nap, Rin would burst into the room, wanting Kagome to share the joy that she was experiencing. Especially the game boy! Kagome made a mental note to claim that the batteries in that infernal thing had died… there was only so much "Look! Look!" she could take.

Though these things only held her attention for a short time, Rin truly enjoyed herself and was extremely happy. Kagome knew that Rin hadn't had that much fun in a long time if ever and she was positive that she didn't get to have many friends, which was probably why she had commanded Kagome's attention all day. She had almost been thankful when Jaken had come to escort the girl to her studies in the late afternoon, for she had been purposely neglecting them, and Kagome took no time at all to eat a heavy, early dinner before retiring to her room to sleep and do homework.

The girl had so much energy that she was wearing Kagome out and it had only been a day! She lazily glanced out the window at the white wonderland and sighed for like the hundredth time that day. There had been an awful storm earlier, with half-frozen rain, lightning and furious winds. That's one reason Kagome hated the winter: besides it being cold and dead, they couldn't play outside very much with all the storms this time of year. If only they had nicer weather then Kagome could take her outside! Have her do a couple laps around the castle or something…

What they needed was a nice indoor project, like redecorating the house or something.

She giggled, momentarily thinking what Sesshomaru would do if they found a way to paint Rin's room to her "liking". She would guess and say he would strangle her, short of killing her, for defacing his ancestral home.

She grimaced at her books, based on subjects from math to literary interpretations spread about her on the floor bed so commonly associated with the Feudal Era. Though she was training to be a doctor, these were the basic subjects that she was required to take before she could really move on to her medical studies, doing every thing from English Compositions and Calculus to Anatomy and Ancient Japanese Civilization and taking the finals over them. At least she felt could rightfully say that she will more than likely ace the history final on the 22nd.

What day is it, anyway?

She pulled out her planner. According to Sesshy-sama (she giggled. It was still funny to refer to him as that, even if it was only in her mind), she has been out for a week and he had made the compromise of the two-week thing with Inuyasha today and if she left to go home on the 8th that would make today the 15th…

Crap! Christmas is 10 days away!

Not to mention the family reunion, all her friends' parties, the Annual Christmas party her mom hosts, Christmas Day, Winter Semester tests…

She clinched her fists. Damn. If she didn't manage to escape, Sesshomaru would never let her leave to go back to her time! Her mom was depending on her help with the family and those tests are vital to her future in modern Japan!

She punched the big, silk pillow with a clawed fist and a hole appeared with feathers flying all about like snowflakes. She looked at her claws and touched the mark that had been burned into her forehead. How will she hide her new "condition" from the family anyway? Her mom's gonna freak!

"DAMN INUYASHA AND HIS STUBBORNESS!" she screamed in outrage, feeling that if he had half a brain she would not be in this predicament.

She almost jumped as she heard the door burst open. She turned to the intruder, expecting to see Sesshomaru, who would no doubt yell at her for all her racket but was surprised as Rin bolted into her room with Jaken hot on her heels, grasping a pink bundle closely and screaming while he tried in vain to catch the faster girl. Rin ran to the bed furs and behind Kagome, as if to use her as a shield to protect her from whatever torture Jaken was about to put her through. Kagome, of course, could only stare in bewilderment while wondering what this was all about.

"I don't need a bath Jaken! I haven't done anything all day!" the girl protested loudly from behind Kagome's shoulder. Kagome saw Jaken sigh wearily, thinking without doubt that this same battle must resume every night. Rin was sweet but when she didn't want to do something, you have a better chance of picking up a car than changing her mind.

Poor Jaken. Kagome didn't even have to feel to exhaustion in his aura to know that he was about to collapse. His yellow bug eyes where blood shot and his shoulders were slouched in weariness as he leaned on his staff for support; he didn't even try to mask it in front of her and Kagome knew demons had this thing about displaying weakness in front of anyone, friend or foe. What task did Sesshomaru give him to wear him out like this?

"Jaken, I'll take it over from here."

Jaken gawked at her and Kagome thought he was going to deny her offer but he sighed again, leaving the bundle that he was carrying on the floor, obviously Rin's bathing things before he exited the room. Kagome had no doubts that he would go straight to his room to go to sleep. She turned to the little girl, who had forced her features into an adorable pout, as if its charm could convince Kagome not to drag her to the bathing house. Kagome laughed, ruffling her hair before going to her yellow bag she had thrown by the wardrobe to get her own bathing things.

"Sorry Rin. That look won't work on me!"

Rin's face fell in defeat and Kagome giggled, remembering how her own mother used to tell her the same thing when she was young.

* * *

Sesshomaru sat at his desk, putting his signature on all the paper work he was required to sign before tomorrow so that it could be sent off. There was one bonus to the human's presence here: he could now force Jaken to go through the bulk of it without himself having to paw through it for hours on end.

Thank Kami for vassals!

But there was a damn boat load on his desk: he felt as if he had signed a hundred or so documents and was only halfway through the pile that Jaken had completed and that was only half of the bigger pile. He threw down the ink brush in frustration, feeling the tension headache starting to form that was usually associated with paper work and, quite recently, with hanyous… women hanyous.

Just thinking about her made him want to bash in a wall!

Now that Jaken was doing most the paper work, Sesshomaru had used his free time to "check-up" on the humans, though it was more of ensuring the wench didn't corrupt Rin or try to sneak out. He was more and more anxious about the fact the Rin could escape the castle quite easily and would even teach her new friend her secret. In fact if Sesshomaru had bothered with it before hand, he would have discovered the clever girl's secret a long time ago and found a solution but that can't be helped now.

Well anyway, during his "check ups", Rin had accepted his unusual frequent visits with open arms, for he never really saw her throughout the day until it was her dinner/ bed time; the wench, however, hardly seemed warm to him. Every time he was in her presence, she tensed and tried to ignore him, which of course Sesshomaru was not used to. He always commanded attention, no matter what he was doing. Because of that, he would purposely do things that would get on her nerves like correct her and call her names that she thought where insulting but that he only believed to be befitting, like his personal favorite "human". He always got an amusing reaction for that one, though he used the term lightly, for she technically wasn't a human anymore; she was hanyou but it was entertaining to say it nonetheless.

But she was always undermining him! He would give her an order and she would either do it in the most horrible fashion imaginable or simply say, "I'll do it later, Lord Sesshomaru," with as much sarcasm and mockery as she could muster and then never do what he asked just to spite him.

Not to mention that it seemed every time he turned his back to her, she would make funny faces or mock him because Rin would burst out laughing but when he looked back to confront her, she merely smiled at him innocently: a smile that Sesshomaru was learning to be wary of.

She certainly was something different. Out of all the females he had every encountered of any race, none of them have ever treated him as disrespectfully as this hanyou was capable of. Youkai women usually throw themselves at him, hoping to be Lady of the Western Lands or trying to get close to him so they could slay him for some family member he had maimed or killed, and human women just do what they are supposed to: scream and run in fear before he struck them down. That is how is should be but this woman was breaking all the rules: she was actually showing something that he had coined "human defiance". She was purposely but subtly opposing him, more content to defy him then to out right fight him. Inuyasha used to do the same thing though no quite as masterfully as this woman-child was able to. It was as if she had been trained in the art of driving people superior to her utterly insane!

And she was doing a good job too. Even when she was hallways away, he was still able to think about her! Nobody could even mention the words "wolf", "woman", "human", or the like without his thoughts turning to her! Not that they were good thoughts, mostly of him wringing her slender neck but they invaded his mind anyway. The girl sure did know how to take over one's mind and it had only been a day!

He groaned. Only 13 more to go…

"DAMN INUYASHA AND HIS STUBBORNESS!"

Right on time. Although he ultimately agreed with her outburst, Sesshomaru made a note that if he did want peace and quiet around his home, he best not think of her too much because it seemed that every time he did, something happened, mostly caused by or involving her. Just like the whole stair well incident this afternoon: if Jaken hadn't brought her up, he never would have thought about her and… who was he kidding? The wench was going to cause mischief whether he thought about her not, even if it wasn't intentional on her part. It was a human trait. Rin was the same way, all but tearing up the castle in an attempt to amuse herself.

Humans were becoming more trouble then they were worth.

He lazy glanced down at an old book lying down on the corner of the desk next to his ink brush. It was an ancient tome, brought over from the European countries during his grandfather's time for his deceased relative always had this fascination about other places, often traveling to them to satisfy his curiosity. Personally, Sesshomaru couldn't see himself traveling across the ocean just to experience other cultures but it was interesting to read about them: the way other people lived, died, what they did and their beliefs. Like China for instance; they had built a huge wall that snaked its way on the border of their continent, not only to hold enemies at bay but they believed that demons always walked in a straight line, never turning or changing direction so a curvy wall would prove to be the ultimate defense against them. The very idea! As if a queer wall could stop him the slightest bit!

Anyway the leather binding of the book was slowly crumbling and some pages were loose but all together it was intact. He must have read it twice this week at least but it was important information about his new "guest". The script did take a bit of time to read; it was done in Japanese but the letters were slightly faded and, of course, calligraphy had altered after so much time but he had done it.

He was still debating on whether he should give it her or not. It was about werewolves, though it was based more on legends than actual evidence. Apparently, the European countries were believed to be infested with them though Sesshomaru had his doubts. Humans were more often then not just imagining things.

Still, the information presented in this book was the best that he had in his library and a lot of it made sense if nothing else. The girl would probably learn a lot about herself if she read it and it would most likey cut down on her question outtake, which was an anticipated bonus.

Then again, if she stopped asking questions, he would actually have to start eating again at meals for Rin's sake. He shuddered. He had already skipped out on dinner with the excuse that he had too much imaginary work to attend to which had stressed the little girl so much that she actually had food sent to him while he was in his study, reading.

He supposed would just have to rely on the fact the humans were curious and obnoxious, thus causing the woman to inquire about other subjects so he would respond to her while they ate.

There was no escaping it so he might as well embrace it.

He gracefully used his arm to push himself out of his comfortable nest of pillows, grabbing the book balanced on the corner as he made his way around the desk.

He crept across the study, careful not to rustle any of the paper that might cause the stacks to fall as he opened the slide door and stepped out into the hallway just in time to see Jaken at the other end creeping into his own sleeping quarters, hunched over like an old man.

Where is Jaken going? Wasn't it time for Rin's bath right about now?

His mind scraped for an answer and it came up with the only possible conclusion: the wench was taking charge of Rin's care for tonight, no doubt out of pity for Jaken. Sesshomaru smiled, more of twitch at the corner of his mouth than anything else. He knew how his little Rin felt about bathing rituals. He might have been tempted to watch how the human handled Rin during her "bath tantrums" if not for the fact that they would most likely be naked.

Not that nudity really bothered Sesshomaru. He grew up in a noble house and had seen some of the most beautiful female demons with little or no clothing on and had even caressed their skin with his claws, but seeing Inuyasha's wench in such a state would probably cause physiological problems, if not blindness. It wasn't that she wasn't appealing; it was just the fact that she was hanyou and Inuyasha's lover that made that scene appalling.

No matter. He had to pass the bathing house to get to the girl's room anyway; he was positive that he would be able to hear the entertainment and still get a laugh out of it even though he can't see it. He could usually hear Rin and Jaken across the castle and he had no doubts in his mind that the girl who be as unrelenting to the other girl as she was to her retainer when it came to forcing her to do something. One of the perks of her listening to him and him alone.

Set with his plan in mind, he turned his heel and began to stride down the hallways of his home, walking with boredom and determination though inside he couldn't wait to listen as his ward humiliated his new "guest".


	9. Bath Time!

**Chapter 9: BATH TIME!**

"Come on Rin. Let go!"

"NO! I WON'T AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"

Kagome sighed in frustration before she released the girl's right hand to try and pry the left one off the door frame. The girl had latched onto it as soon as they had entered the bathhouse and her grip was like a vise: unrelenting and stubborn. Kagome warily noticed that there were nail marks all along the frame's edge and realized with annoyance that she must do this little fit routine about her bath time a lot. Kagome soon gave up trying to remove it short of a crowbar and Rin took this moment to latch the other hand on as well so she could anchor herself even more.

"Why don't you want to take a bath?" Kagome snapped at Rin angrily, her patience quickly grinding away. Personally Kagome loved baths and she could hardly see why the girl would make such a fuss.

Rin glared at her, trying to appear intimidating but only succeeding in looking even cuter. "CAUSE I JUST DON'T WANT TO!" she screamed at Kagome fiercely. Her only response was a series of hushes from Kagome as she tried to get the kid to stop bellowing; she was sure the whole damn castle could hear them!

"Rin be quiet!"

"NO!"

Kagome felt her claws clench as she tried to prevent herself from punching the wall because (a) she didn't want to hurt Rin or the wall and (b) she was sure that it would injure her hand if she tried such a thing. If she had known that Rin was going to throw such a tantrum, she never would have offered to bathe the girl! She was real close to pulling Rin off the door frame and over her lap to give her a good spanking.

Kagome sighed again and tried to calm down. This is just the kind of reaction that Rin wanted. If Kagome got angry then Rin could call for Sesshomaru and Kami only knew what he would do to her for "assaulting" his ward. Rin was not upset at someone giving her a bath; someone other than her foster father had given her an order and she didn't want to do it because she didn't want to be told what to do. It was a game of control. Kagome had tried to do the same thing on her mom, testing her to find out how much she could get away with but she never truly won; moms were moms and they always had a way to make both children and husbands to do what they wished. Kagome would just have to try a different tactic…

"Ok Rin. You win. I'm not going to force you to take a bath." Kagome said with a look of utter defeat on her face as if she had given up completely. She turned her back to Rin and began to rummage through her things to get all her toiletries out, keeping on eye on the girl still firmly planted in the doorway with knuckles white from holding on so hard. Seeing that Rin hadn't moved or said anything, Kagome glanced over her shoulder slightly before looking away again as if the girl's presence were bothering her. "I'm going to take a bath so could you please leave so I can have my privacy?" Kagome said in the most bored tone she could muster, consciously trying to mimic Sesshomaru's tone. Her mother used to use reverse psychology on her so why not try it on Rin?

Rin eyed her suspiciously and Kagome saw her grip begin to relax, the muscles slowly beginning to unclench. As soon as Rin let go, Kagome was going to snatch her, undress her and threw her into the spring and clean her by force if Rin decided she wasn't going to join her. One way or another, Rin will learn that although she is Sesshomaru's adopted daughter and her friend, when Kagome asks her to do something, she should do it without question or at least without so much trouble. Kagome's leg muscles tensed to pounce…

Rin glared for an instant before her grip was readjusted and clutching even more firmly than before. "I don't trust you." She announced loudly as she braced herself with her legs for a struggle if Kagome tried anything.

Kagome mumbled a curse before climbing to her feet and charging up to Rin. "You leave me no choice!" she growled as she placed her hands on Rin's sides and began to tickle.

Rin erupted into pearls of involuntary laughter as Kagome wiggled her fingers even faster over her soft silk clothing, knowing that if she kept this up Rin would have to let go sometime to stop her hands. To her surprise, after about a minute or two of such torture, Rin's grip was still firm, though she was now on her knees on the tiled floor as tears came streaming from her eyes. Kagome stopped as Rin scrambled to her feet; well so much for that idea.

She'll just have to yank her off it then.

Rin thrashed about wildly as Kagome wrapped her arms around the girl's little waist and began to pull her, lifting her off the floor so that her feet danged in the air. Kagome pulled just enough to put pressure on Rin's hold but not pop her arms out of socket while Rin's hands held their place firmly on the wooden frame. After a few moments, Kagome propped her leg against the wall to add leverage and she felt the girl's grip slowly slipping as the added force was beginning to take a toll on her fingers.

"LET ME GO!" Rin screamed angrily as the older girl began to wretch her from her anchor.

"YOU LET GO!" Kagome screamed back, no longer caring if the whole damn castle heard or not. She was getting so tired of this crap!

"Rin, let go"

Kagome suddenly felt no resistant as Rin released her hold and they shot backwards like an arrow from a taunt bow. Kagome was so surprised that she dropped Rin, who landed hard on the stone, before she felt the ground underneath her feet end abruptly and she found herself underwater. Warm water entered her still open mouth as her back scrapped against the rocks from her momentum before she was able to stand up and break the surface, coughing and wheezing for air as she waded in water about waist deep.

As soon as she could breathe again, Kagome clumsily pulled herself out of the water, her damp clothes weighing what seemed like a hundred pounds as she kneeled on the stone tiles of the walkway that wrapped around the spring. Flying backwards into a hot spring wouldn't have been so bad if she didn't have her only pajamas on and her mouth wasn't wide open when she went under. Not to mention that Sesshomaru was standing right there, leaning against the offending door frame lazily while she was drenched from head to toe and effectively making huge puddles all over his floor.

_And_ it looked as if he was trying not to laugh. While his facial expression was the same, Kagome could see that his muscles in his face and shoulders were somewhat strained, as if fighting back a smile. Kagome glared at him hard, almost wishing that her new demonic powers included heat ray vision like Superman. That sure would make her life a hell of a lot easier.

_RUN! IT'S KAGOME HIGURASHI! SHE CAN KILL YOU WITH A SINGLE GLARE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

"I do believe that your concept of bathing is a bit skewed."

And there goes Sesshomaru's oh-so-wise comment that could destroy Kagome's fantasies of heat vision with a single blow and bring her back to reality in record time and did. Kami he was so insufferable! That was definitely not Kagome's idea of a bath.

Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow as Kagome stood up, water dripping of her strange garments like little rain drops. He didn't suppose that she noticed the silky fabric of what was obviously her night clothing was now clinging to her in such a fashion that it left little to the imagination, considering how hard she was glaring at him. It was as if she was trying to burn holes into his flesh or something like it. Not that he cared to point out her current condition of dress; she really wasn't half bad to look at. Thanks to her water-logged clothes, he could see her rather shapely figure, though still too slim for his liking… she really needed to eat more to regain flesh lost… with nicely rounded hips and long legs that had water dripping off every luscious curve and surprisingly, seeing her like this didn't cause physiological scarring or blindness as he originally thought he would have when seeing Inuyasha's wench in a rather revealing situation. Then again she wasn't naked though she was close to it…

"I would have you know, falling into a pool fully clothed is hardy a regular 'bathing concept' for me ok?"

Kami did she have long legs!

"Are you even listening to me?"

Nice, long legs.

"Sesshomaru?"

Really nice, long legs…

"EARTH TO SESSHOMARU!"

Sesshomaru eyes snapped up to Kagome's face, slightly annoyed at the interruption. His window of opportunity to observe and appreciate such fine limbs will be closed in a matter of minutes and his wished to use as much time as possible before she notices her modesty is being betrayed by her strange and yet fortuitously traitorous apparel. Not that her face was bad to look at either…

He shook his head roughly to clear all thoughts from his head and promptly becoming annoyed with himself. He never thought he would live to see the day when he might secretly ogle a naïve, half dressed female hanyou (with great legs) who wasn't even aware that she was being ogled. It was as if Kami himself and shoved this particular hanyou in his lap to prove to the Western Lord that not all feminine beings possessing human blood are repulsing in either mental or physical attributes.

Kami was good to him indeed.

"Just because I do not respond to your outcries immediately, does not mean that I did not hear you the first time." He responded coldly as he tried to keep his eyes trained on her face but found that to be getting more and more difficult as the urge to glance at her legs again began to overwhelm him.

Kagome rolled her eyes in annoyance and frustration. He was so full of shit. She knew he didn't hear her the first couple times because he was distracted..._AH! He's doing it again! He's looking at something other than my face!_ Her mind screamed as he followed his gaze.

Kagome gasped when she realized just what he was distracted by.

She inwardly groaned as her face flushed a deep red. Oh Kami no! This can't be happening! She knew now what people meant when they said that they wanted the floor to just swallow them whole! She felt like dying from embarrassment!

Suddenly the room began to spin. She fought to stay standing but found herself kneeling on the floor, her knees weak and legs refusing to respond to her mental command to move as her senses overwhelmed her. The combined smells of the garden immediately gave her a huge headache while the usual fog that radiated off of the warm water was so thick it was like smoke, making it harder for her to breathe. She could feel each grain of sand that made up the stone underneath her finger tips and she could hear the under-workings of the spring as it fought to bring forth warm water to the surface. Her sight was impeccable: she was able to see every droplet of water in the air like she was holding up a magnifying glass. Hell she could even see the bubbles in each droplet.

Next to her, Rin was shouting… or maybe she was talking, Kagome wasn't sure anymore, but she could hear the concern in the little girl's voice as it echoed in her head. The scent of daisies surrounded her in haze that it was more like a fog that she was trying to get out of. One could only assume that it was Rin's scent: the scent of flowers that Kagome knew to mean innocence, simplicity, loyal love, purity, gentleness and youth.

Insanely she gasped onto this thought, holding onto it like a lifeboat in the sea of confusion in her mind. Do all humans smell like flowers? Will Rin's scent change when she gets older, when she is no longer innocent and pure and exposed to the sufferings of life in the world outside Sesshomaru's castle? What was Kagome's scent? Did she smell like some sort of flower? Does she still smell the same or did it change when she was bitten?

Kagome's eyes whirled around until she could see Sesshomaru leaning in the doorway with an old, thick book in his hand. Her senses were enhanced so much that she could hear the sound of him breathing, the beating of his heart, the swaying of the fabric of his clothes, and she could smell his scent and the leather of the old book so much it was like he was right in front of her, not across the room. His scent! Oh Kami his scent! It was like nothing she could ever describe! He smelled…immortal. Fog, snow, rivers, night, forests: there were many scents around him that she wasn't sure which one was the real one or if the combination was his scent!

He started to slowly walk toward her and she could feel the vibrations of each footstep he took through the ground, and she could see every silver stand of his hair swaying gently behind him in the dim light of the torch on the wall as he walked gracefully toward her like some sort of god. She stared hard at the handsome, emotionless face unable to look away as she watched his markings intently so they that seemed to jump out at her, their colors so vibrant that they stood out on his face like a painting.

Kami he was beautiful!

All these senses came to her in such a rush that her head pounded and felt like it was going to burst. She pressed her hands on her temples and put her head on her knees in an attempt to relieve the pressure. The scents around her; Sesshomaru's, Rin's, the gardens, and even the old book in Sesshomaru's hand seemed to close in on her, making it hard to breathe. She felt faint.

What is happening?

Sesshomaru stopped a foot in front of her, his boots clicking on the stones softly: to Kagome it was like thunderclaps.

"Lie down." The vibrations from his low, calm voice seemed to drift into the air and pierce the cloud of panic in her mind. In a way it was almost soothing to Kagome and she glanced helplessly into his face as her brain slowly processed his request like one of the out-of-date computers at her old highschool school. He wanted her to WHAT! She wanted to ask him why but her lungs were having enough trouble trying to breathe let alone talk.

Sensing her reluctance, he kneeled until his eyes were level with her own full of fright and confusion, seeing but not really seeing as she looked into the golden depths. His eyes were so beautiful! All of him was so beautiful! She felt lightheaded from the lack of oxygen getting to her head but she didn't care; she just wanted to get lost in his eyes. A spear of pain lashing into her brain brought her back to reality as she clutched her head again, almost thinking to pound it against the wall to relieve the agony. She had this forceful drive to just rip up the flowers in the garden and break the windows to let the hot, stuffy air out just so she could get some fresh air!

He placed the book to one side and shoved hard her shoulder, causing her to roll on her back. She tried to get up and scramble away but he kneeled down on top of her and penned her arms with his only hand above her head. Images of assault and rape went through her mind as she struggled desperately to escape his grasp, her breath coming in short gasps. She couldn't breathe! Why is she not breathing!

"Calm down. You are having a panic attack." He said calmly in monotone, tightening his grip on her arms, careful not to let his claws break her skin. Though his voice was barely above a whisper, it sounded like he had turned on the intercom in Kagome's mind to full blast and was screaming into it so that she didn't really hear what he was saying.

It also didn't help that Rin was beside her, crying and frantically asking Sesshomaru if Kagome was ok because obviously Kagome was NOT ok! Again she hear Sesshomaru's deep, emotionless voice snap at the little girl; Kagome was pretty sure that he said "silence" or something of that nature to Rin but it was hard to tell as it echoed in her mind. All she really knew was that Rin's screeches ceased immediately, which was a relief but Kagome continued to struggle, trying to free herself from Sesshomaru's grasp. She needed to get out of here! Away from the all noises, the blinding sharpness of her vision, the pain of his claws digging into her arms as he grasped her, the smells… away from him! She just wanted it all to go AWAY!

"Just calm down and breathe." Sesshomaru said, trying to keep his frustration in check. Her sudden rush of enhanced senses must have frightened her and now she's having a panic attack! He was sure that it was just him that stood in her way from going completely ballistic and tearing the room, and possibly Rin, to pieces in a futile attempt to rid all the offending objects in the bath house that pained her senses. Or worse, she could hurt herself while trying to relieve the agony. Both did not bode well.

He watched as her chest continued to rise and fall in a frantic motion, trying to inhale and breathe normally but failing. Her body shuddered as her lungs fought for air and her eyes shot around uncontrollably like a wild animal, searching for something but not really seeing anything. If she keeps this up she'll lose consciousness! She had to calm down somehow…

"BREATHE!" He snapped sharply and momentarily loosened his hold on her to strike her cheek with the flat of his hand before clasping onto her arms again.

Kagome was shocked: she stopped her struggling and relaxed involuntarily as she gaped at him, mouth wide open while her eyes fixed on him like seeing him for the first time. Did… did he just slap her? The movement was so fast that it seemed as if his hands had left her wrist for a millisecond. She wasn't even sure it had happened but she felt the sudden stinging of her cheek as it began to turn a painful red color. Tears welled up in her eyes, more from the surprise than pain while she was forced to resist the urge to touch it with her hand, considering Sesshomaru had a death grip on her arms.

But her breath caught.

She closed her eyes and began to drink in the air thirstily; the scents in the air threatened to overwhelm her one more as inhaled deeply through her mouth but she kept breathing through the pain. That was all she thought about: breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out… She chanted it in her mind as she forced her lungs to obey:

_Breathe in, breathe out…_

Gradually her breathing slowed and she felt her senses fading back into normalcy, a mere shadow of the taste of youkai sense she had just experienced, to her utter relief. Sesshomaru eased off of her and watched her carefully, making sure she didn't relapse while she was thankful for having his big, heavy body off her stomach. Eventually she sat up, her headache now eased down to a dull ache as she looked around the room, relieved when it didn't begin to spin again.

"You're becoming more trouble than your worth, human."

She glanced up to see Sesshomaru towering over her, his beautiful silver hair reflecting the torch light as it hung mere inches away from her fingers. She closed her eyes again as she felt another headache coming on and this time not "freaky youkai senses" related: it was the headache that was becoming less associated with Inuyasha and more with Sesshomaru. Maybe she should just name it the "Baka Inu-youkai headache" so that it would continue to apply to both brothers to save time.

Kami she hated it when he towered; it made her feel so small and insignificant, which was probably why he constantly continued to do it. Not to mention, it gave her the almost irresistible urge to play with his hair as it fluttered teasingly in the air, taunting her. She could live with the fact that he had better hair than her; she just wished that sometimes she could twirl it between her fingers just to see what it felt like without having to worry about Sesshomaru painfully removing said fingers. Why was she even thinking about his hair at a time like these? Weird the thoughts that run through her head after some traumatic incident involving life or death… or at least it seemed that way. She was pretty sure she would have just passed out after Sesshomaru held her down. Good thing she wasn't still in the spring when it all happened or she would have drowned herself.

Sesshomaru turned his back to her, his long silver strands mischievously batting her in the face as they caressed her cheek. _Argh! Must… not… touch…_ her mind screamed as her hand twitched involuntarily, wanting to wind itself in the hairs that tickled her nose. She idly wondered what he would look like with his hair braided…

Oblivious to her current thoughts about playing with his silver tresses, Sesshomaru bent down to pick up the tome he had brought with him and had carelessly thrown to the side during the little crisis. The binding was a little looser but all together it was still intact. He turned back to the girl who was still sitting on the floor and seemed to have taken up a sudden fascination with some feature present on his person, supposedly his hair. He raised an elegant eyebrow before tossing the book into the girl's lap, who jumped startled as she was forcefully pulled from her silver hair fantasies. She lifted up the tome, feeling the old leather move underneath her finger tips, and looked up questionably at him.

"What's this?"

Sesshomaru scoffed. What did she think it was? Rin's bed time story? It was a tome on her kind; why else would he go through the trouble of retrieving it for her? However instead of using that extremely unnecessary and potentially rude response, he settled for a slightly less offensive one done in the same detached manner he used when he spoke to… well everyone: "I can't protect you from yourself all the time."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she set the book on the ground so that she could use her hands to rise. Ok. You could just say that it was a book on werewolves. Kagome thought bitterly as she began to stand up, weakly unfolding herself and only momentarily stumbling when her knees bucked and nearly gave out on her. Considering he just… helped her to a certain extent, Kagome just decided to ignore that little comment.

"Arigato Lord Sesshomaru." She whispered as she did the traditional bow of respect, though it was probably not as low as "Lord Sesshy-sama" would have liked it. There. She did it. Now she will be able to sleep tonight knowing that she had at least thanked him for something before she snuck off. She lifted up a hand to her forehead, feeling just a little dizzy as she straightened out. "I don't know what happened. My senses just seemed…"

"To overwhelm you and you weren't ready for it." Sesshomaru finished for her, leaning against a sakura tree in the garden casually as if he were completely bored with the whole incident. She glared at him, hoping he would spontaneously combust into a thousand flaming pieces. No such luck. Damn. Why does he always have to be right?

There it was again: the mild scent of burning roses. He was annoying her again. Sesshomaru breathed deep, savoring the strangely addicting scent. He could get used to this; infuriating her just so that he could get a whiff of the almost intoxicating smell she radiated when she was maddened. "You haven't fully adjusted to your youkai form yet. You will most likely experience 'sense spells' similar to the one you just encountered for the few days so try not to be so traumatized next time because you will no doubt have another panic attack."

Kagome fumed, clenching and unclenching her claws. No wonder Sesshomaru and Inuyasha did this when they went into battle. It really released some of the tension in them so that she wouldn't just go up there and punch him right away. They also probably did it to prevent the muscle from cramping so that they don't hurt themselves when they do decide to wail on someone. How could she have ever thought this smug, conceited, pompous ass was handsome!

She looked at his face again. Ok… she could see why she thought he was handsome. Bare fact was that he was handsome, probably the only guy she knew that could be considered beautiful. Though it was the eerie, almost unnatural kind of beauty that many demons had didn't change that fact. What the question should be changed to is: how could such a handsome specimen of the youkai species be such a smug, conceited, pompous ass!

"Well if you hadn't told Rin to 'let go'…"

Before she could even finish the thought, Sesshomaru interrupted. "You would still be trying in vain to pry her from the door frame."

Kagome opened her mouth to tell him that, for his information, she had been real close to forcefully making Rin release her hold but decided to leave that argument be: right now she just needed to fight battles she could win.

"Well if you hadn't aggressively tried to help…"

"You would have inevitably destroyed everything that was around you and causing you offense in an ineffective endeavor to ease your agony, which may or may not have included Rin." He turned to glance at the silent girl who sat patiently on the floor, bound by her foster father's earlier command to remain mute for the time being.

Kagome looked over at Rin, following his gaze before her face turned a pale shade. "You mean… I would have…" she looked down at the stone floor; she couldn't finish the sentence. It was too disgusting.

"Yes." Sesshomaru responded, knowing exactly where her train of thought was going. He waited for her reaction: he half-expected Kagome to deny it and claim that she would never harm Rin under any circumstance but what happened next surprised him:

Kagome couldn't stop herself. She threw herself to where the little girl was sitting and wrapped her arms around her in a crushing, almost desperate embrace. "Rin! I am so sorry! I can't believe… I could have… GOMAN NASAI!" Kagome cried as she clutched Rin's petite form to her own while she sobbed into the younger girl's brown hair, almost fearing that the girl would flinch or shove her away. Instead of a struggle, she felt tiny arms slowly rise up and begin to pat her back as if Rin were the mother consoling the devastated child who had broken her favorite toy.

"Onegai shimasu (please) don't cry Kagome-chan. Ah daijoubu! (I'm okay!)"

That just made Kagome cry even harder. Doesn't the girl realize that she was dangerous! That she was a threat to her very well-being! If Sesshomaru hadn't been there when he was, she could have torn her to pieces with the very hands that were holding her close.

They held each other a while, wolf and girl, while Kagome sobbed into the young girl's hair as Rin comforted her with soothing sounds and reassurances. Kagome wasn't sure when Sesshomaru had left the bath house but when she had released Rin, he was gone. Rin saw that she was looking toward the door and smiled, the corners of her mouth slightly rising and showing hidden dimples. "He does that all the time. You'll get used to it."

Kagome turned to look at the young girl. Now would probably be the best time to answer the question that had been plaguing her since she got here…

"Rin… how did you end up being with Sesshomaru?"

At first Rin was quiet, as if reliving a memory before she turned to her with what Kagome could only describe as a look of admiration, happiness, and… love.

"He saved my life."

Kagome was stunned. He… saved her life? Sesshomaru, the illegibly the most powerful Taiyoukai in all of Japan, renown hater of the human race, feared by demon and mortals alike had intentionally SAVED a little human girl's life?

The rest of the bath, Kagome was silent. The only noise that filled the bathing house was that of Rin's rambling of her daily doings while Kagome gave the minimum responses to make Rin happy. If she had actually been listening, she would have learned of the different demons that stayed at the castle: which ones were nice, which ones to avoid, who cooked the meals, who taught Rin her lessons and who were Sesshomaru's "preferred" warriors.

But Kagome's head was filled with only one youkai: Sesshomaru.

Why did he save Rin's life? Being the heartless youkai he is, the situation didn't make sense at all! What was it that possessed Sesshomaru to do such a thing? Did he feel guilty after killing all those humans and decided to make amends? Did he feel pity toward the orphaned human girl? Did he do it just on a whim? Did he do it to study humans and their behaviors so he could understand them better? To hunt them better?

Before Kagome knew it, she had tucked Rin into bed and was lying in her own, staring up at the ceiling of her fancy bedroom. There was so much about Sesshomaru that she didn't understand… just when she was sure she had him figured out, he does something to change her outlook on his whole personality.

Was… was he _more _than what he let on to be? Does he love and care about Rin like a true father? Did he just use his cold façade to cover deeper emotions? Is Rin melting his ice covered heart?

She smiled softly before closing her eyes to welcome the world of dreams before her escape attempt.

What would Sesshomaru think if he knew that she was actually starting to think he was a good demon?


	10. Escape from the Shadows

**Chapter 10: The Escape from the Shadows**

Kagome woke up surrounded by fog and darkness. It was so cold her breath came in puffs of smoke that quickly disappeared as her body shivered uncontrollably. She looked around, trying to grasp her surroundings but only saw fog and darkness that seemed infinite until she heard a voice in the distance, piercing through the haze. It was so beautiful, its wordless song full of emotion that rang of sorrow and tragedy, beckoning Kagome to follow it into the unknown.

She turned in the direction of the voice and saw a faint light blue through the mists, more of a dim glow than anything else. She ran toward it, running blindly through the fog with her eyes trained on that single blue glow that was slowly becoming larger as she neared it. When she was closer, she stopped as she saw a figure of a man silhouetted by the light, the wordless song louder in volume and passion. She paused cautiously, not daring to approach as she felt the figure's stare. It was so intense that it was as if it was burning her flesh and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet, resisting the urge to flee, feeling that she _had_ to be here for some reason.

"Help me…"

Her breath caught in her throat yet she gasped in surprise. His voice was barely a whisper, like someone in pain and her soul called out to him, wanting to heal him of all his woes. She walked toward him till she was but a foot from him, eyes trained on his face but the mist blurred it beyond recognition. For some reason, she wanted to touch him; to reach out and caress his face with her fingers, just to make sure he was _truly_ there. She raised a hand to touch his cheek…

Suddenly the ground seemed to magically open beneath him, sucking him into the black depths. She gaped in horror as she saw the floor become a thick sheet of ice like a frozen river. It was like glass, so clear that she could his form struggle for life as he slowly started to drown, pounding vigorously against the barrier. She knelt down, putting her hand over his clawed one that rested on the ice between them, trying to grasp his hand. She felt as if it were her drowning, the icy waters swallowing her and pulling her into the darkness of death as she tried to claw her way to the surface; to life. She was now the one drowning as she looked up at her rescuer…

Inuyasha reached out for her, a sad look on his handsome features… a face that she had known, loved and depended on for many years… before turning away… before turning his back on her, leaving her to drown in the darkness.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" the cry seemed to rip itself from her throat as water entered her lungs, now begging for air.

The voice that was singing died and the ice shattered.

* * *

Kagome shot up in the bed, covered in a cold sweat, gasping as she fought for air. She pressed her hand to her head to cover her eyes in weariness before swinging her legs over the side of the bed and letting her feet hit the cold tiles, sending shivers up racing and down her spine. She brought her hand down from her forehead to eye level; though it was completely dark, as soon as her eyes adjusted she could see her hand clearly, thanks to her new demonic abilities. She felt it tingle a little, as if the sensations of her dream were still having an effect on her body.

It had felt so real…

She shook her head to clear it of her thoughts as she climbed out of bed, feet slapping on the smooth tiles as she made her way over to her bag. She looked at the digital watch which read 1:29 as she stretched, still shaking off the lasting effects of her dream. She opened her bag to dig out some warm clothes, a long sleeve dark shirt and jeans, and stripped herself of her t-shirt (the night clothes were still wet from earlier events), embracing the warmth of the new ones along with her jacket. She shouldered her back pack and grabbed her bow before sliding the door open a crack to see if there was anyone coming down the hallway.

She was met by shadows and silence.

She opened the door just enough to squeeze the rest of her through before closing it again, the tapping of the wooden door frame against the wall sounding like a gun shot to Kagome as it echoed throughout the empty castle. She held her breath, watching to see if she had woken anyone before starting to tip toe down the hall way.

She had her shoes in her bag so her footsteps wouldn't make any sound as she creep through the castle, finally stopping at a door not far from where her own was; one that she couldn't help visiting.

She opened the door softly and watched as a tiny beam of light from the torch behind her slithered its way across the wooden floor to rest on the little girl's face, a relaxed smile always present on her features. Kagome felt her heart tug at the sight of the girl sleepy peacefully, knowing that when that girl awoke the next day that she would be totally devastated that her new playmate will be gone. Kagome had only spent a day with her but she still felt a tear form at the corner of her right eye. It was worse than leaving her friends without saying good bye because with them she knew she would see them again but the same couldn't be said for Rin.

She sighed. Even if Kagome _wanted_ to stay, she felt that she couldn't: at any one moment, she could lose control and then… she shuttered. It was too horrible to think about. There was no way. If she couldn't leave for herself, then she would leave for the tiny child that lay slumbering peacefully in bed. It was just too dangerous for her to be around… well anyone until she has a hold of her powers. That day's earlier events taught her that.

The only person who could possibly understand and be willing to help was outside this castle that held her prisoner: Inuyasha.

She sighed. She was sure that Sesshomaru could probably help her… _if_ he wanted to. That was the thing with Sesshomaru: he only did what he wanted when he wanted… and she _seriously _doubted that he wanted to help her in any way, shape, or form unless it was in his best interest. And there was no point in honoring a deal between the two brothers at the stake of her discomfort and the lives of innocents… well _innocent._

No longer able to resist the urge, Kagome snuck into the room and began to walk over to the little girl's bed, careful to avoid the girl's clothes and toys piled on the floor. When she reached Rin's side, she was just content with looking at the girl's sleeping face for a while, trying to engrave it into her memory, before leaning close to whisper in her ear.

"Rin, I'm sorry I'm leaving. I just don't belong here… I have other friends and a little boy that I have to take care of. They really miss me and I miss them. I hope one day you'll understand. I really enjoyed spending time with you and I really hope I will see you again one day." She smiled sweetly while letting the tears that threatened to fall do so as she gently grasped the girl's hand and extended a little pinky. Kagome clasped it with her own before continuing.

"I pinky swear that I will see you again someday soon, even if I have to sneak back in the castle." She released the little hand and stood, bending down to plant a kiss on the girl's plump cheek. "I'll miss you." She breathed, her warm breath stirring the hair that caressed Rin's face. The girl sighed and rolled over, as if she had been tickled and forced to resume a new position under the bed furs. With that, Kagome snuck back across the room, only pausing at the door for a moment before closing it and plunging back into the labyrinth of the castle.

When she was sure Kagome had left, Rin sat up in bed and held a hand to her cheek where the other girl had kissed it, her own tears welling up before spilling on her cheeks and between her fingers.

"I'll miss you too."

* * *

Kagome continued her trek down the hallway, wiping tears from her eyes as she tried to recall the way to Sesshomaru's study. Was she supposed to turn to the left or the right? Is it this passage or that one? They all looked the same in the torch light…

Duh da… Duh da… Duh da duh da duh da duh da duh daaaaaaaaaa duh da duh da…

What? Kagome felt there should be theme music as she snuck around the dark corridors, and what better song then the "Pink Panther" one to invade her mind to help keep her mind off the fact that she was trying to escape a castle full of demons, lead by Inuyasha's half brother no less, and was currently lost.

Finally just when she thought she had just about lost hope of getting out of the infernal maze of the Western Castle, she saw the picture of the silver haired lady on the wall between two oak doors. Kagome nearly clapped her hands with success and triumph but refrained.

She found it!

She clasped her hands on the door to her right and slid it open, poking a head inside to examine its contents. This one was Sesshomaru's study: she could tell because it was a good sized room with tomes and scrolls on the shelf that leaned against the side wall by a low table that was covered in papers and surrounded by pillows. She wrinkled her nose, shocked and annoyed by his organization skills (and he gave her crap!) when a flash of moon light that shone through the window on the back wall to dance across what looked to be a sheet of old cloth hanging on the back wall. When she got closer she realized that it was what she had been looking for: a map of feudal Japan.

The pulled out the pen and paper from her jacket pocket and began to draw all the important features of the map onto the paper in a rough sketch. It didn't take her long, for she only wanted from the Western Lands to the Eastern Lands and when she was finished she shoved the paper back into her pocket so that she could have easy access to it when she needed it.

* * *

Ruri watched from the shadows of a nearby corridor that was torch-less as the hanyou woman snuck through the main hallway to the bathing house, well aware that the other youkai servants were avoiding her, not even making an attempt to recapture the obvious escaping prisoner and with good reason.

She was half miko.

Ruri wasn't sure how this was possible but she refrained from probing the woman's mind to find out. She had a feeling that if she tried, her own mind would probably not escape unscathed. She had never encountered a hanyou that was also a miko but she knew better than to invade a miko's mind for fear of being purified.

This woman's presence made the others uncomfortable. She was an abomination, like herself. They keep whispering about how they had wanted her gone; maybe it wasn't her place to report it. It would make everyone happier; the woman would be back where she belongs and the youkai would be able to relax again… that is until Lord Sesshomaru's wrath rained down on them. She winced, knowing that those tidings were never good.

Making her decision, she sank into the darkness until she was one with the shadows, phasing through the wall to her right and passing through random rooms until she arrived at a wall… and beyond that Master Jaken's quarters.

* * *

Kagome allowed her self to breathe again when she was across the meadow and in the cover of trees, far out of the hearing of any demons while she looked back at the way she had come, still able to spot the castle through the trees and was slightly surprised at how easy it was to get out. Rin had been right about the guards not really guarding the East Wall. Sesshomaru really should fix that if he wants to stop Rin from following him everywhere.

She sighed and shrugged before pulling the makeshift map out of her pocket and taking a good look at it in the moonlight. According to this, there is going to be a clearing in front of her in a few minutes with a river running through it, mostly frozen this time of year. She would have to avoid that because she was almost sure that if someone looked out the second story window, they would be able to see her form crossing it and possibly alert Sesshomaru. Last thing she wanted was to be chased by an angry dog demon before she had a chance to get to Inuyasha. She guessed he was probably in Kaede's village still because they couldn't search for the jewel shards without her.

She changed her direction and slowly made her way toward Kaede's village… and Inuyasha.

* * *

"Master Jaken."

Jaken sleepy swatted away at the air with his hands as if to ward off the intruder, assuming it was Rin. He had just gotten to sleep for crying out loud! Or at least it had felt that way. He was so tired from assuming his regular duties for Lord Sesshomaru now that the human girl had that wench to take care of her and his Lord seemed more than content to unload most of that damnable paperwork off on him! How doing his Lord's paperwork was part of his job description, he didn't know but he was forced to do it nonetheless. He had been working ceaselessly all day and into the wee hours of the night and he _still_ didn't get even half the pile finished! In fact, he was trying to get a few hours of slumber just he would be able to _function_ tomorrow and he had a feeling what his work agenda would be: more paperwork!

"Master Jaken, this is of up most importance."

Ok. It wasn't Rin. For one thing, this voice was that of an older female and much more polite; the child would have dove on him by now to get his attention. She really was rather spoiled.

He sat up in his bed of pelts, squinting into the darkness but not seeing anyone. "Who's there?" he asked while lighting a candle, trying his best not to fall back into the pelts and go back to sleep.

A shadow seemed to separate from the darkness as a youkai stepped into the orange glow of the little flame. "Ruri, Master Jaken. I'm so sorry to bother you so late in the night." The figure bowed deeply.

Jaken nodded. He now recognized "Ruri". She was one of the servants: a tribe of shadow youkai that Sesshomaru's father had employed to be the castle staff for their quiet and secretive nature. They were like the shadows themselves; they had the ability to talk mind to mind and could phase through walls which made them ideal for tending the castle without disturbing the residents but they were also skilled warriors, making them perfect for inner castle defense and assassinations. They were all black from their eyes to their toes, like a cloudy sky on a moonless night; they possessed no other color in their appearance… usually. The one standing in front of him was a fine specimen of the female version of their species: young (only about 250 years in youkai terms, late teen's-early 20's in human) tall, beautiful with long straight ebony hair and half full lips only there was one thing that made her different from the others; made her painfully stand out and even be shunned by her own kind.

This one was a descendant of a hanyou. Though most the human blood had been bred out of her family throughout the years it still left a scar of its presence on her person.

She had emerald colored eyes.

She had no whites around her irises like the rest of her kind but while they have eyes the color of utter darkness, hers shone with a green tint, casting an eerie and ghostly look about her. Her real name is not known for she had been called "Ruri" or "emerald" for so long, and though it was meant to be a mockery, she even calls herself that now, accepting her eyes as an unwanted part of her shattered identity. Because of them she was made an outsider within the castle and among the other youkai. What could be so important that she would be seeking Jaken's council so late in the night?

For the benefit of his comfort, she spoke using her real voice, which was quiet and weak for it was rarely used. She wouldn't speak in an ally's mind unless she had permission to do so. "Master Jaken, I have disturbing news."

Jaken could only imagine. She was… different from the rest of her kind. She could do all the things they could but he knew about her other abilities, probably present due to her human blood. She was feared for them, which is yet another reason she was an outsider. While the others could _speak_ mind to mind, she could enter a mind, merging her mind and theirs to learn a person's secrets, past, present and even their future without them even feeling it… unless she wanted them to. She could even destroy a mind if she wasn't careful. This ability was probably the only reason Sesshomaru kept her around after his father died. Sesshomaru liked to pry information from people, to play mind games with them and to toy with their emotions but if he no longer finds the situation amusing, he calls her. She could tear information from any mind and relay it back to her master in mental pictures so he could truly grasp the extent of what she was revealing to him. She was incredibly useful.

"Well what is it? I don't have all night!" Jaken snapped as she waited till he beckoned her to relay her message.

"The hanyou woman has escaped."

Jaken paled. Whatever he had imagined the problem was, he had never expected that! Sesshomaru was going to kill him! "Why didn't you stop her!" he screamed at her motionless form in desperation. Now would be a good time to panic and rewrite his will!

Ruri shook her head, almost in shame. "None of us want to get near her… she has a very strong miko aura. We do not wish to be purified when she defended herself."

Jaken gaped at her in incredibility. The wench still had her miko powers? He had just assumed that the bite would have driven those away but it looks like he was wrong. The shadow youkai would have sensed it because they are more sensitive to auras and such but to have him and Lord Sesshomaru both over look it was indeed a disastrous mistake!

"Then why are you here! Why didn't you go straight to the lord!" Jaken demanded. Sesshomaru would only be more upset at the delay!

Ruri continued to look down, staring at the tiles as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. "I thought that you would want to relay the message if you felt it was out of your control to handle…"

Jaken scoffed. Yeah right. She just didn't want to be the one who was beaten for the delivery of such a message. With his luck, even if she was the one to tell Sesshomaru, he would spare her and beat Jaken anyway. Such is the curse of being Sesshomaru's favorite chew toy. He only hoped that he would live to be beaten another day…

* * *

Sesshomaru bounded from tree to tree in the frozen forest surrounding his castle, dressed in his usual uniform as he sniffed the air, searching for the wench's scent. Now that there was no one around, he let his usual icy facade of indifference fade away until all that was left was a mask of pure emotion, consisting mostly of anger and annoyance. Why had no one notified him sooner that the girl still had miko powers? He had thrown Jaken against the wall when told _that_ bit of information. Had he had known that, he would have… well he wasn't sure what he would have done but he would have done _something_! Holding a hanyou was easy but throw miko powers into the mix and he had a problem.

Which he was experiencing at this very moment. Despite his continuous ranting on how he was surrounded by incompetent morons, he couldn't help but feel as if he himself had joined the crowd. How could he have over looked that! He knew the other shadow youkai wouldn't tell him something like that because they wanted the wench gone; he should have sought out Ruri before something like this had happened. Even if the shadow youkai hadn't been able to detect it during the wench's week-long "transformation" period, she certainly would have sensed it when the hanyou had awoken. Hell, Sesshomaru could have had her scan the girl's mind while she was unconscious!

He knew better than to be mad that Ruri hadn't done so on her own and relayed the now obvious critical information to him; she had told him when he had become lord that she would refuse to enter a person's mind unless he instructed her to do so, which was a relief at the time for he was thinking of how uncomfortable the other visiting youkai would be if she invaded their minds as soon as they had entered the castle grounds. Even if she was suspicious of a traitor, she respected other's privacy. She didn't even mind speak like the rest of her kind did unless she had permission.

So, in short, it was he who was the idiot in this case and all he could do was promise himself that this would never happen… no matter what.

Just as he was coming around the side of the East Wall, he halted to a stop as he inhaled the unmistakable scent of roses, knowing full well that it was _hers_ for regular roses didn't bloom this time of year.

Also it had the faint reek of wolf.

He glanced to his right where the scent was oldest, curious as to how she had escaped his castle so easily to spot a door, half buried in the snow across the meadow in the side of the wall, almost invisible if you didn't know where to look.

He groaned. He had forgotten that was even there! Plus he didn't see many guards there, making it perfect for undetectable escape. Now if he wasn't so intent on keeping out of sight so that none of his guards found out about his current retrieval of the escaped prisoner for fear they would begin to doubt his competence like he was, he would take some trees and throw them at the idiots that were supposed to guard the castle on the East Wall during the night shift.

He turned to his left and began down the trail of the scent that was freshest, following the footprints in the snow for it was only partly snowing and the prints were fairly new.

Holy hell this just wasn't his night! How many mistakes has he made in one night now? Three? And all were proving to be his downfall; if he didn't get the wench back, he would lose the Tetsusaiga and the faith of his minions. The shadow youkai already knew of the escape but they were a secretive tribe, only keeping to themselves and their master however one way or another, word would get out to the soldiers in the barracks and that would prove to be catastrophic. They would think that he wasn't fit to rule the Western Lands and would either abandon him or overthrow him and as strong as he was, he couldn't take down so many trained youkai at once, especially since he was the one who trained them.

Or even worse: they would think he had released her out of empathy. That would result in both an overthrow and humiliation. He winced. Better they think he was stupid.

Finally he could hear the sounds of someone plowing their way through the wild brush, his ears catching snapping of twigs and the mumbled cursing of a woman. The chit was damn noisy for someone who had been tailing behind his half brother for four years in the wild. If she was half this loud the day she was kidnapped, no wonder she was taken. He'll be lucky if he got to her before some of the nocturnal youkai did…

Suddenly he heard her scream. Cursing his luck, he sped up, thinking that maybe he should let the demon harass her a bit before he came charging to the rescue.

* * *

Kagome fell to the ground, throwing off her bag of her back before sitting up in the snow to examine her injured ankle. She hadn't even seen the root she had ensnared it in, which was sad because she could practically see in the dark now. She rubbed it, massaging it in slow circles and hoping that at least some of the sharp pain would subside before she tried to put her weight on it again.

Dammit! She was hoping to get as far away from Lord Sesshomaru as possible before taking a break. She just had an uneasy feeling, being so close to a castle full of powerful demonic auras and knowing that they were all under _his_ control. Who knows? He could have been informed by someone of her escape and be wondering the forest looking for the "loathsome half demon" at this very moment…

Suddenly the trees behind her shook with someone's movements and Kagome glanced up just in time the see Sesshomaru himself fly off a tree branch onto the forest floor 4 feet or so in front of her, his fangs barred and claws raised as he glared at the surrounding foliage until his eyes rested on Kagome, shocked and immobile in the snow.

Right on cue. Kagome made a mental note that next time she tried to run away, _not_ to think of the Taiyoukai. Maybe she'll have better luck getting away from him if she didn't jinx herself.

Sesshomaru, realizing that she wasn't being attacked by a youkai but merely her own clumsiness, began to relax, standing up out of his previous attack position while fiercely glaring at the girl. At least she wasn't about to be eaten; he would hate to have to reduce himself to being a bodyguard for the Tetsusaiga.

Then again, he could always let the attacking youkai in question bash her against a tree a couple times before coming to her rescue. Maybe he could wait until she begged at his feet for his help…

Kagome was glowering at him but her heart began to beat faster. This may be the only chance she could get away and here he was… making it a hell of a lot harder to get back to Inuyasha and the well, assuming they are in the same place. She grabbed her bag and stood up; still indecisive on what she should do but thankful that her ankle seemed to feel as good as new. Thank you regeneration!

They stared at each other, neither saying a word as they predicted the moves of the other, like a mind game of chess. Kagome could see that he had her king in check: if she tried to fight, she would lose for Sesshomaru was better than her and if she tried to run, she would only get caught again because he was faster than she was but she didn't want to go back with him either. Decisions, decisions…

Sesshomaru knew she wouldn't fight him and he half expected her to run but even with her demonic speed, he knew she couldn't get very far without him catching her. Though he could drag out the chase a little bit; let her get a little far and toy with her fear a bit before he nabbed her. That was always fun… to him anyway.

Kagome sighed and approached him, her head bowed low as if she couldn't look him in the eyes as she resigned herself. Sesshomaru was disappointed: she hadn't seemed like the type of person to give up without a fight yet he could be wrong: he had made that assumption after only day of tolerating her and during different skirmishes with his half brother.

Didn't mean he couldn't bait her though. "Surrendering so easily? I over estimated you. I thought you would at least run." He said coldly when she was within arm's length of him, smirking as he felt her aura spike with anger. The smell of rage did seem to suit her and she was _very_ temperamental.

_Ok. _Kagome said to herself, her anger overcoming all reason. _That is the last straw! _"Over estimate this you pompous ass!" She cried as she balled her right hand into a fist and slugged Sesshomaru as hard as she could, striking him square in the jaw and sending him flying into a tree with the force of the blow.

She stood there for a moment in shock, not grasping what had just happened. She guessed Sesshomaru didn't either for he merely stood there; hand on jaw wearing an expression of incredibility, as if he had never been struck before in his entire life. Minutes ticked by like hours before Kagome next moved: she spun around and bolted from the scene like a hit and run driver, no longer caring as fear overcame pride.

Oh man! She shouldn't have done that! Sesshomaru was going to kill her! She ignored the branches that whipped her face and the roots she stumbled on, not even knowing where the hell she was going as long as she put as much distance between her and the youkai as she could.

* * *

Sesshomaru rubbed his jaw, wincing as he rotated it back into place with a series of cracking sounds. Damn that had actually _hurt_! There was the familiar metallic taste of blood in his mouth and when he spit, he saw that a tooth came out, glistening in the middle of the crimson spot on the white ice. He gawked as he used his tongue to confirm that she had taken out a top molar, leaving a gaping hole in its place. The thought that it will have grown back by morning didn't consol Sesshomaru one bit.

His blood began to boil as he charged after her, once again hot on her trail as he raced after her scent. The woman had actually _struck_ him! No one, human or youkai, male or female, had _ever _struck him, short of his parents, and lived to tell about it. She wouldn't escaped unscathed… he would see to that!

He smiled, more of an evil grin than anything else. Well he _had_ gotten the chase he wanted and now he had more than enough reason to beat the wench, if not kill her. He _could_ always bring her back Tenseiga…

As he was relishing the thought of her punishment, a single thought crept into his mind, like a knife in his consciousness that left him a little disturbed:

What a woman…


	11. Escaping Unscathed

**Chapter 11: Escaping Unscathed**

Kagome kept running, her breath becoming short and labored as her legs began to tire, the bag on her back feeling like a lead weight. Her whole body felt like it wanted just to fall down in the snow and lie there until she was completely covered in the white powder; to be caught by Sesshomaru and taken to a nice warm bed. She wasn't used to so much exercise after she had been out for a week…

But she had to keep running. She wouldn't give Sesshomaru the satisfaction of her giving in to him so easily… and he probably was intent on harming her in one fashion or another for punching the crap out of him. That was always a good reason for a hasty retreat. She hadn't known what had come over her, but then again she had slapped Koga the first time she met him so she supposed that slugging Sesshomaru was just a more extreme form of that… and most likely a more fatal one. Koga at least claims he loves her; Sesshomaru harbors no such feelings of restraint.

Which was _not_ good.

Kagome mumbled a curse, more of a pant. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Why does her anger always have to suppress her logic in the heat of the moment? If she had thought clearly, she would have just gone with him and had to put up with his crap for either two weeks or when Inuyasha came to rescue her, which she had no doubt he would try. If that was the only way to get her and keep the Tetsusaiga then he would do it, even if he lost. Inuyasha was just one minded about that kind of thing. He could never out right make a decision: Kagome vs Tetsusaiga, Kagome vs Kikyo...

Kagome stumbled on yet another tree root but caught herself before falling flat on her face on the snow covered ground. This is not the time to be thinking about Kikyo!

She continued to sprint, occasionally glancing over her shoulder and expecting to see the white uniform of Sesshomaru pop out of the tree cover to slash at her with his claws. Surprisingly there was no sign of him: no rustling of the trees, no sounds of pursuit, nothing. That in itself was the most frightening thing to Kagome. It was one thing to be running from something you could see but a completely different concept when bolting from one you couldn't.

Was he even really chasing her anyway? What if he decided that she wasn't worth it and returned to the castle? It was a faint hope but Kagome needed _something _besides fear to keep her mind off her exhausted body.

However that little glimmer of hope he was gone vanished completely when she slammed into a broad chest clad in white silk, the force of her own momentum suddenly halted sending her sprawling backwards into the snow. Her eyes got wide as Sesshomaru kneeled down so that his face was even with hers, raising a claw that was glowing a green color.

"Boo." He said in his usual monotone as a rare smile graced his handsome features; a grin born of malevolence and blood lust, barring his fangs at her. Kagome squeaked and rolled out of the way as his arm swiped the area where she had been sitting, the acid of the poison melting the snow into a watery, green goo. She scrambled wildly for cover and found herself huddled, hiding behind a thick tree, as if the trunk could even _remotely_ block the attack. Memories of when she had first met Inuyasha flooded to her mind; she had run from him, dodged his blows and even hid behind a tree like she was doing right now while he was chasing after her to steal the, at the time, whole Shikon no Tama from her. She inwardly rolled her eyes at her thought. This wasn't the time to think about Inuyasha either!

She felt something slimy drop off from somewhere above her head and land on her shoulder to slide down her jacket and backpack strap. She touched the unknown substance with her finger, the stinging sensation almost unbearable as she shoved her finger into the snow to numb the pain as it slowly ate away the top layer of her skin. Realizing it could only be one thing, she glanced up at the bark above her head to find that Sesshomaru had melted a section of the trunk and the whole damn tree was going to crash on her!

She tore off the back pack and her jacket, for the fabric that had been exposed to the poisoned tree sap was slowly deteriorating, and threw them to the side away from her before she dove out of harm's way as the tree slowly slammed into the snow, the thunderous echo of its death resonating through the other trees. Though she was partly thankful to have the heavy bag off her back, it sure was a lot colder without her jacket! The winter air and snow seemed to tear through her long-sleeved shirt and numb her flesh. Good. Now maybe when he decides to slash her into little bits, she won't feel it as much.

Speaking of slashing, Kagome was forced to roll out of the way again as Sesshomaru's claws came within the proximity of her face. She scrambled to her feet, barley able to move away from his next swipe at her now unprotected back and she took off running again, her strides leaving her pursuer in the shadows once again.

She knew he was only toying with her. If he had really wanted to kill her, he would have done it by now at ten different times. She was no match for him in either skill or agility so if she wanted to beat him she would have to play his game. She was the one who had to do the toying if she wanted to escape this alive and unharmed. The problem was, how?

He must be "Tree Hopping", so termed for lack of a better phrase to describe it, like Inuyasha does when he wants to get somewhere in the forest quickly. It was the only explanation as to why he was able to suddenly appear in front of her without her noticing. The tree branches and snow gave him cover for he was wearing a white uniform, which made him hard to see in the snowy darkness. He was really quiet too; she never even heard him as he attacked. Those were both advantages that Kagome could fix… well, she _hoped_ she could fix.

When the next thick tree branch that loomed over her head, Kagome jumped up and lashed on to it, using her gymnastic skills they made all girls learn in P.E. to use her momentum to swing up into the tree without losing any of the time that separated her from Sesshomaru. She had never tree hopped before but she didn't think about it as she leap from limb to limb as silently as possible. It wasn't as hard as Inuyasha made it look; as long as you let your body do it by instinct and not let your mind interfere, you avoided most the dangerous braches… or maybe it was just a demon thing…

_WHAM!_ One moment Kagome was in the trees, practically flying and the next she was back on the ground, completely exposed in the open of the forest floor with a completely dazed expression on her face and a red mark forming on her forehead. As soon as Kagome could remember exactly _who _she was, she wasted no time in climbing up the nearest tree and continued her "tree-hopping", unsteadily of course but she _had _to keep moving. Where the hell had that branch come from anyway! Her head smarted from where her forehead came into contact with the branch bark, her headache and wounded pride adding insult to injury. She briefly wondered if Inuyasha ever did this when he was learning; imagining him pulling a George of the Jungle and smacking into a tree dead on was more than comforting…

At any rate, she was tree hopping, realizing that it was easier than flat out sprinting for her feet barely touched the bark before springing her up into the air again, allowing her to rest between jumps and after a while she even caught her breath one more. She mentally celebrated her success, confetti falling around her instead of snow while Inuyasha claimed how good she was getting on such short notice while the others applauded and cheered. It was nice to be loved, even if it was in her mind.

She was also thankful that she wore dark clothes that blended in with the shadows when she left the castle, though it probably doesn't matter. If she could see in the dark, Sesshomaru sure as hell could too and more than likely could see her better than she could see him. She was only half after all.

Now that she thought about it, he could smell her too couldn't he? No wonder he was always able to find her! It really didn't matter where she went or what she did, as long as he could sniff her out she was nowhere safe! She had to do something to cover her scent.

She gasped, nearly missing the next branch and tumbling back onto the forest floor as a realization struck her. She needed to stop distracting herself like that or she'll kill herself before Sesshomaru even gets to her and he would be furious that she deprived him of that honor!

However, now that she was set with a plan in her mind, she switched directions, making a gradual turn to the right to create a wide circle around the path where she had currently been traveling to back track towards her bag…

* * *

Sesshomaru sniffed the air gingerly, only going half his usual speed as his feet kicked off yet another branch to send him flying to the next one as he followed the human's scent. He wanted to enjoy this as much as possible before he drug her back to the castle. It was amusing to watch her dash and duck during his onslaught of attacks; she was pretty quick though not nearly fast enough to truly evade his assaults if he was really trying to hurt her. No… he would wait till after his game of cat and mouse to injure her.

Especially now that she was making it interesting. She must have figured out how he was getting around so swiftly, took to the trees as he had for he was unable to spot her in the snow and her footprints seemed to disappear abruptly. She was essentially silent; her demon abilities must have emerged somewhat for after a time he couldn't even hear her panting anymore. Now she actually had potential to be a good warrior, if she were to be properly trained. She was clever: able to think in desperate situation, trying her best to level the playing field when completely aware her disadvantages. Not that it would help her but he couldn't help but slightly admire her for her efforts. Not many full youkai would try to outsmart him as she was clearly striving to do.

Again he smelled the cold winter breeze, noticing idly that she had altered her course: she was farther and slightly to his right, as if she was making a circle around him and giving him a wide birth, as she probably should. This was unusual: why would she be back-tracking?

The solution crept into his mind as he shifted with her, maintaining the distance between them so he wouldn't alarm her. He wanted to see what she was up to before revealing his presence to her. He was pretty sure she was going back to her traveling bag to retrieve her bow and quiver that were strapped to it, if they were unaffected by his poison but he was pretty certain she knew it was futile. He had proven during his battles with Inuyasha that when he was barely concentrating, he could catch the infernal things before they reached his person so it would be pointless to attempt to wound him with them. He could dodge them with ease anyway.

Sure enough, as he reached the place where they had previously fought, the human stood with bow in hand and arrow notched, ready to fire.

Kagome released the arrow, the taunt bow string sending it flying with a snap. She had made sure that she hadn't made it into a sacred arrow; she only wished to distract the youkai, not purify him. Last thing she needed was to tell Rin why she had accidentally killed her foster father and explain to Inuyasha why she had stolen the pleasure from him. Neither would be very happy with her.

Her arrow had been straight and true, aiming right for his heart before he swatted it away carelessly. Kagome had known he would do that; she had seen him do it in battles with Inuyasha but made an effort to look dramatically abashed; hoping her forged look of shock would encourage him to come near her. He needed to be closer, just a little bit closer…

Sesshomaru got close alright! First he used his whip to snatch Kagome's bow out of her loose grip before charging her, claws hands wrapping around her tender throat as he lift her up into the air, letting her feet dangle helplessly. She cried out in pain as his momentum slammed her against a tree, bark cutting into her back as he continued to squeeze her neck, making it hard for her to breathe in anything but wheezes as she glanced feebly down at his face which seemed to practically _glow_ with malevolent joy. Well, it certainly looked as if he had wanted to do this all day.

Sesshomaru couldn't stop the wicked grin that flashed across his face. He had _craved_ to this all day! He added more pressure to her throat, feeling her windpipe constrict underneath his finger tips as she delicately gasped for air, trying in vain to force breath into her starving lungs. She weakly tried to loosen his hold on her with a hand as tears began to well up her eyes, her face cast in a look of utter vulnerably. Choking her was almost as exhilarating as when he strangled Jaken, minus the bug eyes. Where was her defiance now? Where was her human stubbornness? Her life now balanced in his hands; he had absolute domination over her fate and he and only he could decide if she should live or die. This was the ultimate control.

Unfortunately for him, Kagome didn't seem to think so because while he was so engrossed in his "control", he hadn't noticed that he had fallen into her trap. With her free hand, she dug into a jean pocket to reveal a miniature spray can and before Sesshomaru could comprehend was she was doing, she popped off the cap and sprayed most of the substance in his face

The spray hit his eyes dead on, the oily substance forcing him to close them.

At first there was only a slight stinging but after a couple seconds it felt as if someone had taken a red hot iron poker to them!

Sesshomaru dropped her and began to claw at his eyes, only succeeding to irritate them even more as he rubbed the foreign stuff into them, making them water and forcing him to close them. They burned as if she had thrown acid in them; even his nose was beginning to feel the sensation as he inhaled the mist, catching the faint scent of the spice known as pepper, causing his throat to constrict like there was an invisible hand around his throat. Coughing and wheezing, he fell to his knees, his whole world thrown into darkness without the aid of his sense of sight or smell as he hissed in anguish. What magic was this! What had she done to him!

Only his hearing gave away the wench's movements and what he heard did not bode well for him: the recovery of her breath, scrambling in the snow, and the drawing of a bow string. For one of the few times in his life, his heart began to race. At such close range, he had no hope of being able to avoid her shot now that he was handicapped nor could he accurately defend himself.

Shit.

He didn't know what was worse: that he was outsmarted by a female hanyou or that same hanyou could now slay him in a heart beat. Both were unsettling. At this point, he would go with dying because then he wouldn't have to hear about it ever again. Not that he considered it fair that she used such tricks against him; it was damn undignified! True warriors never used potions or poisons…ok…he couldn't say that…god dammit! The pain was making it hard for him to think straight!

Kagome stood there quietly for a moment, wondering what she should do next. She had armed herself again merely out of habit after she had drenched him with pepper spray, not that she was intent on murdering him. She wasn't a very homicidal person: even in battle, she always waited till the last moment before slaying a demon, most of the time only to protect her friends. Now that she actually had _the_ Sesshomaru on his knees in front of her, she was at a loss for her next move. No doubt he expected her to fire her arrow but all she wanted was to be left alone to go home or at least be treated better if she was going to stay with him. However if she tried to run again, as soon as he recovered, which would be a while because that can had been pretty full (it had been a 15 capsicum spray that her mother had given her), he would only hunt her down again, and more than likely cut her down as well, Tetsusaiga or no. She gulped. She didn't feel like dying tonight. From what she gathered, Sesshomaru was an honorable person, despite his superiority issues and hostility. Perhaps they could compromise.

"Sesshomaru, I honestly don't want to kill you…" she sounded more confident then she really felt, almost as if her voice was detached from her body. "…and I'm positive you don't want me too either so I suggest we strike a truce."

If Sesshomaru's eyes didn't smart so much and he wasn't so enraged, he would have gawked at her in incredulity. Just how many compromises do the gods demand he bind himself to in one day? Thankfully, his breathing was already becoming easier and he was beginning to get smells again… faint but they were there… maybe he could kill her before making any promises.

Kagome continued in a rush, knowing that her little window of opportunity was closing and fast, considering on humans that spray is supposed to disable them for about 30-45 minutes but with demons, she couldn't be sure. "I know that if I run, you'll only track me down with murder intentions for my actions and I _really_ don't get my kicks from killing vulnerable youkai."

Sesshomaru scoffed. Vulnerable? Him? It was only a matter of time until he recovered and then the wench will see just exactly how "vulnerable" he was! "Murder intentions" was an understatement!

Kagome paused, not trusting her voice not to give away her apprehension. Here comes the part where she all but gives him her soul, something she had escaped to avoid doing. At least if she worded this right, she could improve her life at his house and prevent any fatal loop holes from biting her in the ass later on in her visit. "Now I swear on my life that I will return with you to the castle and stay there like a good little hanyou on a few conditions…"

_As if her life was worth much_ Sesshomaru thought, waiting to hear just what exactly her "conditions" were. Oh how he hated this girl! And the mental picture of her as she was in the bath house that crept into his mind was seriously NOT HELPING one bit!

"Condition one: I expect to be treated equally. I am so sick of you talking down to me and ordering me about like I am merely an inconvince!" Kagome said coldly with an edge in her voice as she watched for Lord Sesshomaru's response.

This time, he let his thoughts become known. "Maybe I treat you as such because you _are_ a mere inconvince."

Kagome snorted; didn't seem like his sarcasm and rudeness were in any way daunted by his current situation. It was his big mouth and her fiery temper that got them in this predicament in the first place. If he hadn't provoked her, she never would have punched him.

She pressed the tip of the arrow to his chest above his heart, fully aware that he couldn't see it. "Now listen to me Sesshomaru for I am only going to say this once. As much of an inconvince I am, I am your inconvince and you will just have to deal with it. I expected to be called "Kagome" or nothing at all. Whatever offensive terms you wish to label me as, stay in your head got it?"

Sesshomaru felt the prick of the arrow head on his chest, drawing little drops of blood that raced across his skin when the point broke through it. She _almost_ sounded intimidating! He was tempted to say that just to get on her nerves but thought better of it. He'll have time to taunt her later when he could see again. He didn't know why but he loved to deride her; maybe it was because her human passion brought the most queer and spontaneous reactions. No youkai in his castle would ever think of retorting back with witty comments or even go so far as to strike his person yet this hanyou (used to be human) had managed to both in one day.

"Any other 'conditions' I should be made aware of?" Sesshomaru asked with as much distain as he could muster when she had paused, not agreeing but not disagreeing either. He wanted to know what other outrageous requests she expected him to obey before compromising or killing her, which ever one came first.

"Further more, I am not to be hurt in any way which includes: hitting, punching, kicking, crushing, scratching, poisoning, slashing, slapping, hacking, cutting, bashing, smashing, or killing me, whether by your hand or someone else's who you command." The guy had a castle full of demons for crying out loud! Last thing she needed was a hired assassin coming after her in the night to slaughter her in her sleep.

Sesshomaru opened his mouth to comment but was interrupted by Kagome: "_And_ you can not kill me or hurt me and heal me with the Tenseiga and expect that not to count. I will not stand the abuse."

Sesshomaru snapped his mouth shut. How did she know he was going to say something along those lines? He doubted she could read minds but she _was_ a miko and he hadn't much experience with mikos; if he did encounter any in his travels he usually killed them on sight, not invite them back to his castle for tea. Maybe she did have some variation of that power or was it simply female intuition?

"And last but not least, I expect you to at least protect me if I were to be attacked. Not wait until the last possible moment, watching me be beaten or anything of the like got it?" Kagome wasn't sure why she had said that but she could picture him doing such a thing; applauding as a demon bashed her against a tree and what not.

Sesshomaru sighed. There went his last hope of revenge. Not to mention he was still impaired; he would have to surrender to her terms…after making a few of his own.

"Well _Kagome_. I see I have no choice but to agree to your requests however I wish to make a few things clear."

Kagome backed away from him, lowering her bow just enough so that it wasn't currently threatening his life but it was still battle ready just in case he tried to pull a fast one on her. She was giving him a little trust but she wasn't stupid.

Sesshomaru heard her back away and the wood on the bow creak slightly to indicate that she had eased up on her attack but only barely. She was putting a little faith in him but not much. _At least she's not a moron._ He thought as he dramatically cleared his throat before beginning to recite his first point.

"I only wish to make it clear that while you are in my house and under my care that I practically own you… Omae wa ore no mono da (you belong to me)."

Kagome shivered. She didn't like the way he had said that…

Sesshomaru carried on though he could sense her discomfort with the phrase. Hell, he rarely used it himself for was like a double-bladed sword: not only did the pledge bind the person to him but it also bound him to them, for now that he "owned" them he had to protect them no matter what, for he always defended what was his with great ferocity. In fact, if he had bothered to explain it to her, she would probably feel honored but he couldn't allow that.

"This entails that I too expect to be treated equally, if not superior to you. I am not that mindless mutt that you are used to commanding and following your every wish."

Kagome sneered, tempted to shoot him. No one insults Inuyasha while she's around, though the "mindless" part of that statement was correct. But she visibly refrained and even kept quiet so that he may continue.

Sesshomaru almost smiled as he said this next request but stopped himself for he wanted to appear as serious as he possibly could, though internally he was relishing the thought of denying her the only means of escape that she would have put any kind of faith in. "It also means that _you_ are not to try to run away again, even if Inuyasha does come lay siege to my castle to retrieve you." He knew that they both knew Inuyasha would try but now he just ensured that his half-brother will not succeed.

Kagome groaned. Well there went plan B. He paused for a moment and Kagome got this unsettling feeling that he was not finished. What other thing could he possibly want from her besides her complete and utter cooperation for the duration of her stay with no hope of reprieve?

Sesshomaru now could make out her hazy outline through the tiniest part of his strained eye lids, more of a shadow than anything else while his eyes still watered and stung. He was certain that they will be blood shot tomorrow so that means that he will confine himself to his study so no one would see him. That was just _prefect. _It was the _prefect _way to end a _perfectly_ horrid night.

And now for his last request…

"And furthermore, you shall never mention this incident to _anyone_ ever in your short pathetic life or I swear on my father's grave that you _will_ die in the most imaginative way possible along with everyone you have ever known!" His voice was low and menacing, more of a growl as he placed his claws a mere inch from her nose and let the poison flow through his veins, surrounding his hand in a venomous fog that threatened to burn off the skin of said facial feature.

Though the green haze stung her face, Kagome stood her ground as she felt her skin slowly begin to dissolve under his touch. It was weird how you could take sheering pain like that when you knew that you were getting only a slight taste of what your punishment _could_ be along with the fact that your skin will have repaired itself within a few moments. She could get used to regeneration that's for sure.

Kagome grabbed his hand with hers, pulling it away from her face and into a handshaking gesture, the poison cutting into her skin like fire. She concentrated carefully, only summoning enough of her power into her touch to dispel the demon magic…and maybe give Sesshomaru a slight shock with it.

Sesshomaru tried not to cry out as something close to electricity raced up his arm, twitching it into numbness while he felt the poisonous aura around his claws disappear as if it had never been summoned, turning what was supposed to be an impressively intimidating motion to frighten her into what he could only guess to be some sort of indication of truce. It was as if he had been a child that was displaying some publicly obscene gesticulation and she were the mother who changed the sign to something appropriate, even scolding him for his use of the bad indicator.

How degrading.

"You have my word Sesshomaru…sama." Kagome shook his hand, proud of her small motion of friendship. It was like changing his middle finger to the peace sign! And then addressing him like an equal! Man she was on a roll!

Sesshomaru's ears tweaked when he heard what she called him. Oh Kami he had a feeling he was going to regret the deal that he just made. Not to mention his nose was running from the combined efforts of the pepper substance and the cold. He waited while listening to the noises of the girl gathering up her belongings, or what was left of them before he heard snow crunching next to him and felt the heat from her breath on the cold night air as it dissipated beside him.

Kagome shrugged into her jacket, covered in damp snow used to dilute the sappy poison that clung to it while she adjusted the backpack on her shoulder, now only possessing one strap and many holes. She groaned. She'll have to buy a new one when she got home. At least the skin on her face was already healing…

They stood there in the snow for many moments; painful minutes that involved Kagome shivering with teeth chattering, signs usually consistent with freezing one's ass off. Kagome glanced sideways as Sesshomaru, who remained as still as a statue as the snow drifted around him in playful flips and he didn't look as if he was going to be moving anytime soon. She sighed. She had thought that he would want to get back to the castle as soon as possible but for some reason he was hesitating…

She nearly slapped her forehead but stopped herself. Duh! He can't see! He can't safely travel through the woods! AND he's too proud to ask for help. She tried in vain to hide a smile. This was just priceless. Thank you God of Pepper Spray! At least Kagome got one laugh tonight… one she was trying to suppress for Sesshomaru's sake. At least this was a problem she could fix.

Sesshomaru stared at the tree in front of him, concentrating on the patterns in the bark as if they had the secrets of life hidden in them and he could pull them out with the power of his eyes. Nope. Still didn't look any clearer. Damn. At this rate, he'll never get back to the castle. What _was_ that potion she dowsed him with? Its effects had to be nothing short of amazing to have rendered him incapable of walking back to his house through the woods. Maybe he could get her to tell him her secret and then he could use it on the idiotic guards. A day or so without sight or smell ought to make them appreciate the importance of their job a little more…

Any train of thought passing through his mind at that exact moment was promptly derailed when he felt a small, soft and incredibly warm hand grasp his huge, numb one. His head snapped toward where he knew Kagome was standing and he could barely make out her shadowy silhouette reflecting off the snow as she began to walk in front of him, two hands now cradling his.

Her touch was… warm… and gentle. Her fingers were like butterflies as they softly moved over the skin on the back of his hand, sending shivers up his arm and down his spine as he felt air that was moist and balmy race across his finger tips when she breathed on his hand to thaw it. Sesshomaru was speechless and was trying to not physically gawk or react to her touch. What did she think she was doing?

When he tried to withdraw his hand, he felt resistance from the wench as she tightened her hold and put it on something warm and slender; what he could only guess to be her shoulder from the texture of the clothing that covered it before she released him. With her hands gone, he felt his own become immediately vulnerable to the bitter cold air and his fingers twitched, pressing against her slim shoulder bones momentarily as if asking for her touch once again.

"What are you doing?" he asked grimly though his hand was still tingling involuntarily. What was this human up to? And why is his hand acting this way!

Though he couldn't see her face, he knew she smiled.

"Considering you can't see, I thought I would lead you back to the castle."

Sesshomaru wasted no time in removing his hand from her shoulder and stepping away from her, determined to get away from her and her temperate caress. "I am in need of no such assistance," he replied as coldly as possible, glaring at her shadow before continuing. "Especially not from a hu…"

He felt her aura spike before he heard her forced "Ahem", obviously giving him a warning.

"…you." He finished, mildly peeved that he was forced to reword his statement. Yes he was about to use the word "human" but according to their agreement, he was not allowed to refer to her in any terms she deemed inappropriate, human most likey being at the top.

Kagome sighed in frustration. What is it about men and asking for help? Does it conflict with their sense of dignity or something? Right now, all it was conflicting with was Kagome's patience. "Listen Sesshomaru, I _know_ you still can't see well and I believe that instead of wasting time waiting for either your eyes to clear or for you to recover from the impact of first tree you walk into while I freeze to death, we could be making progress by me leading you while there is _nobody_ around…" She made an exaggerated emphasis the "nobody" in hopes that he would get it through his thick skull that no one would see him. "…and get back into the castle and to a fireplace before anyone really notices that we were gone and that you are…temporarily impaired." She finished while crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot in the snow and impatiently waiting for an answer.

Sesshomaru mulled over what she had just said. He hated to admit it but she had a point: while he liked the cold, he felt as if he had enough "winter fun" outside in the cold night with… _her_ and did wish to return to his bed as quickly as possible. Not to mention that getting out of her presence will be an added bonus, without having to recover from the humiliation of running into the imaginary tree that she had previously mentioned. That _would_ be even tougher to live down then her merely leading him back into his castle undetected.

He sighed in resignation and held out a hand for her to grab hold of. Her reasoning was pointless to argue with.

Kagome nearly clapped her hands at her triumph but grasped his hand again instead, her skin jumping from the contact. _That was weird._ She thought as she began to drag Sesshomaru through the woods but was held back. She turned to look at Sesshomaru expectantly. _Now what's the problem?_

Sesshomaru glared down at her (or at least in her direction) though his body began to immediately warm with her touch once again. "Remember…" he said in a low menacing voice as he gripped her hand tightly, half-heartedly hoping to crush her fragile hand bones before he "remembered" that she had mentioned crushing in her list of now forbidden physical abuses. "If you mention this to _anyone_…"

Kagome rolled her eyes as her body continued to shake with the cold while his hand squeezed hers firmly in a not-too-friendly way. _Oh come on already!_ She thought annoyed as she used her other thumb to press against the tendon in his wrist, knowing that it was a pressure point and immediately felt the force from his tense finger muscles ease involuntary in her right hand. After years of traveling with a hanyou, monk and taijiya, you tend to learn a few cool tricks.

"I know. You swear on your father's grave that I _will_ die in the most imaginative way possible along with everyone I have ever known. Can we go now?"


	12. Blade known as Beauty

**Chapter title sucks, I know….**

**Chapter 12: Blade known as Beauty**

**(Note: The character Katana/Hitomi is mine and mine alone. And I'm really sorry if you hate it when people add their own characters to their fan fics. Gomen nasai! Also **italics **when I used them mean either a dream or a memory. Just so you know!)**

Katana woke up to much pain and coldness. The wind from the opening of the cave seemed to blow right in her face and cut through the strange cloth cocoon she was wrapped in. Her veins burned with Naraku's poison, her wounds felt like they were on fire, and her fever was up again. She didn't know where she was or how she got there but there was one thing she did know; she couldn't move without rousing a lot of pain. And that she was hungry!

She was lying face up, propped up on many pillows, so after the blur of sleepiness and sickness faded from her sight, she was able to strain her neck a little to look at the figure at the camp fire. He was stirring a pot of something (that smelled REALLY GOOD!) on the fire. She couldn't get a good look at him because his back was turned to her (probably hasn't realized she was even up yet) but she could see that he was wearing an off white under shirt, hidden beneath long silver hair, and red hakamas. It didn't take her long to realize where his matching red haori was; around her.

She cradled her head as the intense headache pounded relentlessly in her skull. Suddenly images flashed across her mind, most of them with a figure in red in them though they were so fleeting, she couldn't get a closer look as they vanished like wisps of a dream. She tried to sit up but her muscles burned with the effort to move and she ended up falling back into the strange blankets and fluffy, gasping in pain. This caused the man in red to glance her way for a moment before continuing what his was doing.

"Morning," he said in a bored tone. Katana waited till her head didn't feel like it was going to spilt into two before responding back. "Where am I?" She asked weakly. Her voice sounded dazed and almost completely alien to her own ears.

The man in red poured some soup from the pot into a bowl and crawled over to her. "You're at a cave not far from where you had that battle." He lifted up her shoulders as she cried out in pain and leaned her against the cave wall. She got a good look at his face once her pain subsided.

He had tan skin that really stood out with his silver hair, as if he was out in the sun a lot, with two little dog ears perched ever so cutely on his head, hidden in his silver mane that her fingers itched to pet. He had a handsome face, currently set in a bored expression but his eyes gave off an impression that he was on his guard. His eyes had a golden hue that shown like liquid amber in the firelight and it made her think of her own unnatural purple colored ones. Not to mention she saw fangs when he talked. His aura was strong but it wasn't as strong as a real demon's or as weak as a human's. She came down to one conclusion: he was a Hanyou. And with those adorable ears, sharp fangs and razor sharp claws, the must be a dog Hanyou.

"Can you feed yourself?" he asked as he fetched the bowl and put it on a mat next to her with a pair of chop sticks and sat in a crouched position as if ready to spring back to work if she could. Katana leaned over and tried to pick up the sticks or the bowl but both caused too much pain for her to grasp either and she sighed in defeat before slouching against the wall behind her, cursing her own weakness. The man in red sighed as he sat down by her, picked up the bowl, put the bowl's rim to her lips and slowly let the hot soup into her mouth. Katana drank hungrily as the soothing hot liquid slid down her throat and into her stomach, causing her to feel immediately warm against the cold air. After a few gulps, he put it down to give her some water from a cup and she chose this opportunity to ask a few questions.

"Who are you?"

Inuyasha looked down at the girl with a silver brow raised. For someone who he remembered punching and biting him, he thought for sure she would have recalled him in one form or another. "I'm the guy who saved you from being torn apart by a fucking lot of demons."

Inuyasha couldn't help but look at her violet eyes. They were probably the deepest shade he had ever seen and were laced with a knowledge…of one who learned many things and knew many secrets…their true beauty shadowed by the presence of pain. He almost felt sorry for her…almost…he never did like to be bitten…

Katana blushed in embarrassment as she adverted her eyes to avoid the intensity of his gaze. "…I'm sorry. I don't remember much." She replied softly, her throat feeling like she had swallowed a basket of glass shards or the like.

Of course that wasn't true. Now that she was more awake, Katana remembered most of that battle and the events that had lead to it but it was more like a fevered dream, coming in flashes as if she was merely watching it and not really doing it. However it felt as if she was missing information about something… something important… but the more she picked at it in her head the more it seemed to fade. There was a reason she didn't want to be here… a reason she wanted to get away…

Her head started to ache painfully and she groaned.

Inuyasha eyed the girl wearily. Though she seemed sincere, he couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't telling him the whole truth. He shoved the thought to the back of his mind. That was a problem for another time. "Do you remember anything at all?"

Katana nodded weakly. This sickness was really taking its toll so he probably thought her slow and helpless. Though her pride smarted, she was content to let him think that for now…he will learn otherwise eventually when she was better. Kami she hated to have to rely on people!

"What is your name?" He asked, curiosity filling his beautiful golden eyes as he anticipated her response. He could almost bet money that it involved a weapon.

Katana was about to answer when she erupted into a fit of coughs. They were so painful that it felt like her lungs were being torn apart and it lasted for what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes. When she was finished she slumped against the cold cave wall once again, exhausted. What was happening to her?

The man in red leaned over with a rag and wiped the corner of her mouth and Katana saw that there were crimson patches on it; her blood. "Sango had said that you might do that. She's the one who patched you up last night. You had been poisoned when…someone had shot you with an arrow during the fight and she and another one of our friends had gone to get you a rare herb that would make you better." He put the rag by a bowl of warm water, one that she could assume that he was wiping her face with earlier and reached for the glass of water again so that she could drink from it. "You're lucky we're familiar with this particular type of poison." He said with a hint of anger in his voice as he helped sit her up straighter so she could drink without choking. She felt sick to her stomach as she felt bile rise to her throat though she had only had a little soup but she drank anyway, clearing her mouth of the coppery after taste of blood.

"My…gasp name is…Hitomi." Katana managed to squeak out as he laid her back again. She sort of felt bad about lying to the man about her name and the battle but she wasn't sure if she could trust him…not even if he was a handsome dog hanyous with gorgeous golden eyes and irresistible ears!. She hadn't been able to trust anybody since Naraku...he would have to prove he is trustworthy.

The man in red smiled and started to snicker and Katana narrowed her eyes. "Is something funny?" she demanded hotly, her voice now husky after her coughing episode. The man in red just shrugged casually. "I only thought it would mean something like 'knife' or 'sword' or something like that. Certainly not 'beautiful'. That was the last thing I thought your name would be."

Katana glared at the red figure in front of her. And she had thought him handsome! "And why is that?" she demanded. The man in red just waved his hand as if to dismiss the subject. "Never mind. You don't remember." Katana glared more intensely. "Don't remember what?" She wanted to know God dammit! He only gave her an annoyed look that said Just-Drop-It-Or-We'll-Get-Into-A-Fight and Katana gave him a fortified glare that said I-Already-Think-You-Should-Spontaneously-Combust-So-You-Might-As-Well-Tell-Me-Cause-I'm-Gonna-Keep-Bugging-You-Anyway.

Finally Inuyasha sighed in defeat, deciding it was no big deal to succumb to her will this once. "When I met you, you were in a battle with a whole army of demons, killed most of them and you were slowly dying for the poison they gave you so I had to defend you before they killed you. I came in there, killed the rest of the army and their leader threw a bomb at you so I had to save you from that instead of going after the leader and I tried to bring you here, but you struggled, punched and even BIT me so I thought is why I though your name would have a meaning like 'sword' instead of 'beautiful'."

Katana wasn't sure if she should be offended or complimented. Sure, her real name did mean "blade" but was he really all that impressed by her battle tactics? And was she homely enough that wouldn't be considered to have a name that meant "beautiful"? She wasn't sure…he seemed to be acting extra friendly for some reason. Maybe he was trying to lead her into a false sense of security to get information out of her…she wasn't quit sure. For now she just nodded. "I see. Well thank you for saving my life. What would like as payment?" she asked calmly. For some reason she couldn't fathom, she wanted to get away from him as quick as possible if she could.

Inuyasha just shrugged once again. No point in not telling her the truth. "I just want those jewel shards those demons were after." He stated casually, as if it was just a minor detail. Katana paled, surprised at his observation before remembering that she had known that when he had helped her. "How do you know that is what they were after?" she asked coolly, concentrating on her hands, hoping that he couldn't sense the shards like some could.

Inuyasha suddenly filled with such hate and anger that Katana flinched. "Let's just say that I know their commander." He flexed his claws and the sound of cracking knuckles filled the cave as his hand shook with rage. Every time he even thought of that bastard, Naraku, his boil started to boil!

Katana hung her head shamefully. "I'm sorry but I think I have hidden them somewhere and I don't remember. And even if I did I wouldn't be able to give them to you." She knew he was going to ask why but she suddenly felt very tired and inwardly she groaned. She spent too much energy during that battle… she needed to recharge still and it won't wait till she's done with breakfast. And the food was so good!

"Sir, can I go back to sleep? I'm very tired all of a sudden. I promise to answer more of your questions when I wake up again."

Inuyasha nodded, seeing her apparent fatigue and helped her slide back underneath the covers. "Get plenty of rest. And don't call me sir."

Katana yawn/coughed as she welcomed the warmth of her blanket cocoon. "What should I call you then?" she asked with a sleepy detached voice as her eyes started to close with painful slowness.

He started to clean up the food mess, whisking away the bowl from her side and crawling back toward the fire. "My name is Inuyasha."

Katana giggled. And he was making fun of me! "That was the first thing I thought your name would be Dog Demon." She mumbled so softly that if he hadn't started screaming in the next instant she would have thought he hadn't heard her.

"HEY!" Inuyasha screamed and was about to throw the clay bowl at her unprotected face but his cry of outrage fell on deaf ears for she was already asleep. "Why did they make me promise to be nice?!" he mumbled to himself as he recalled that night's events…

* * *

_Miroku sat beside him quietly as Sango tended to the "Savage Wench"…or that's what Inuyasha called her when he brought her into the confines of the cave and she bit him. Violent girl that one: fought every second as if she was in a feverish sleep. Shippo was fast asleep in the corner, cuddled up in an orange "sleeping bag", one of the many that Kagome had brought to them earlier in the winter._

_He knew they were all dying to ask questions…especially Miroku. The girl may be aggressive but she was a female with a pulse who happened to be rather attractive and Miroku being the person that he is…Inuyasha already felt like pounding his face. Fortunately they've figured that he is in an irritable mood so they've left him alone for now._

_Sango finally got the girl into a restless sleep in a green sleeping bag (that had been formally Kagome's sleeping bag that she left with Sango) and joined the group around the fire grimly. "I bandaged all the wounds: she was beaten pretty badly. And I managed to stop the bleeding and get her cleaned but the poison that is in her body is the same one that I had when I breathed in too much of Naraku's miasma…she's having trouble breathing and her body constantly fights it and it leaves her weak and feverish."_

_Miroku shook his head at this unfortunate information, "How long does she have?"_

_Sango sighed sadly, "The poison travels slowly but she was shot with an arrow so that it entered directly into the blood stream while I had only inhaled it. I think that if she gets enough food, rest, and warmth…maybe a few days at the most." Inuyasha glanced over at the figure tossing restlessly under the covers in a half annoyed-half concerned way. For a moment, he considered the thought of just leaving her to die but knew Kagome would have his head when she found out and preferred not to even suggest it to the group because they would never abandon a person in need. And wasted effort on his part for rescuing her. "Is there nothing you can do?"_

_"If we had the antidote we can save her," replied Sango with an undertone of frustration. "But we don't have the antidote…Naraku does." Inuyasha sat there thoughtfully for a moment before picking up his sword and placing it in his lap. "Let's get going then." He announced, searching their faces for their reactions and thoughts of this plan._

_Sango stared at him in a most peculiar way as if she couldn't believe what she just heard. "Excuse me?" Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder as if annoyed that she was even giving him that look. "You SAID the only way to save her is to treat her with the antidote right?" he replied in an irritated tone. Sango nodded slowly, still confused by his stupidity. Miroku had already guessed where this was going and rolled his eyes._

_"And since Naraku has the antidote I thought the answer was obvious…we go find Naraku and fight him for the antidote as well as the shards!" Inuyasha continued in a determined voice, gripping the sword tightly and standing up, turning toward the cave entrance._

_Miroku sighed and pulled him back down into his seat before smacking him on the head. "One: It's too dark and cold right now so if we were going to take action it would be in the morning… unless you want us poor humans to freeze to death." He ignored the evil looks Inuyasha was giving him as he continued. "Two: we don't know where Naraku is and we can't even begin to track him without Kagome's ability to sense his jewel shards." Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably in his seat as everyone in the group looked at him, silently blaming him for that problem with their eyes._

_"And three: even if we DID know where he was, it would be suicide to go into his castle. It's not as if we can go up to his door and say, 'Hey Naraku! How are you doing? We have the girl that you were chasing earlier and had poisoned so we were wondering if we could have the antidote.'" Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something but Miroku held up a hand to silence him. "We'd be out numbered and he will probably be expecting us and have planned a trap."_

_Inuyasha fumed but realized he was probably right. That still didn't solve the problem though. "Do you have a better plan Monk?" he retorted, more than a little miffed._

_Miroku met his gaze evenly, his voice still level. "Well where did you get that herb that healed Sango when she was sick?" Inuyasha paused for a minute and thought back to four years ago…"Well we went to this herb farm with this other half demon that was abused by a nearby village…name was Jinji I think…"_

_"Do you think he'll let you have some more of that herb?" asked Sango. Inuyasha paused again, thinking hard. "I'm not sure…probably. He's a nice guy really. Kagome and him became friends."_

_"Do you remember where he lives?" inquired Miroku. Inuyasha tried to remember: it was just him and Kagome…Miroku was watching Sango in a shack…They were riding on that bike and he fell off…"Yeah. In fact it's not too far from here." Inuyasha looked out cave entrance into snow; everything looked different in the winter but if he remembered correctly, considering how far they had come across the western lands, if they were to head due North on Kirara then they should have plenty of time to get there and back in a day or so. "Do you think he'll have the herb ready in the dead of winter?"_

_"Sure. Herbalists usually preserve their herbs during the winter so they can still use them," responded Sango with confidence. Inuyasha shrugged. She would know better than him because she used to live in a village with healers. He just hoped it applied here as well. "That settles it then. Tomorrow you and Inuyasha will go to Jinji's and I'll stay here and watch over our patient," said Miroku innocently as his eyes glanced at the girl, who was moaning in her sleep._

_Inuyasha was about to pounce on the pervert but Sango beat him by bashing Miroku on the head with her giant boomerang. "Nice try Hentai." She said hotly, weapon ready to bash him again if need be. "You and Inuyasha will go to Jinji's while I stay here."_

_Miroku rubbed the sore spot on his head but shrugged indifferently. "Hey it was worth a try." Sango huffed and looked away as if she didn't want to even be in his presence at that moment and he took the opportunity to lean in closer to Inuyasha and whisper, "You said something about a village nearby…are there any beautiful girls in it?"_

_Miroku was answered with another bang on the head from Sango, who had over heard seconds before Inuyasha punched him on his temple. She was getting faster. "Quit the violence!" complained Miroku as he massaged the bumps on his head._

_"Oh, are you still conscious? I can fix that if you don't behave!" She said harshly as she raised her weapon again menacingly, making Miroku sit up straight and salute. "Yes ma'am!", he said a little too quickly._

_Sango glared at him suspiciously. She didn't trust how fast he became agreeable and cooperative. "On second thought…I'm coming with you."_

_"Then who will watch the girl?" protested Miroku horrified as Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Sango answered as if she didn't notice. "Inuyasha can tell us where Jinji's is and he and Shippo can take care of her. He said it wasn't too far so we could be back at the end of the day if we start at dawn." She directed her attention from the devastated monk to Inuyasha. "Is there any way to avoid that village?"_

_Miroku sulked, sighing dramatically and putting his chin in his hands as if life wasn't worth living. "Oh man…"_

_"You mean I've got to baby sit the Savage Wench?" protested Inuyasha hotly as soon as this new plan had hit home. He glowered at Sango, who merely seemed to be innocent as she smiled warmly. "But she's taken SUCH a liking to you…"_

_"Yeah right, like a cobra to a mongoose." grumbled Inuyasha miserably as he leaned against the cave wall, knowing that there was no point in arguing because Sango will no be moved. He could tell that this was just going to be so much fun…_

_"Lucky dog…" mumbled Miroku, purplish-blue eyes darting toward the girl but they were blocked by a Sango who glared in his direction. "What was that?" she asked in that low tone that females use that means "you better not have said what you think I said or there will be hell to pay!"_

_"Nothing!" he relied rapidly and quietly, holding up his hands in defeat. Sango grinned smugly as she leaned her weapon against the cave wall, "That's what I thought." She unzipped her pink sleeping bag and snuggled into it and turned her backs to them and the fire. "Good night." She said in a conclusive voice that signaled the end of the discussion._

_Miroku and Inuyasha remained where they were, deep in thought. Inuyasha couldn't help but gaze over at the slumbering girl in his Kagome's sleeping bag. She was even more radiant then before now that the dirt was off her, thanks to Sango's hard work. In the flickering firelight, her tan skin seemed to glow in an almost unearthly manner as her long curly hair, now free of the mud clots and tangles, seemed to glimmer and sparkle as it spread out underneath her down like a beautiful brown web with a red-ish hue to it. He could smell her lavender scent faintly still, the necklace now hidden beneath his haori that she was now wearing properly, and could see how her thick eyelashes fanned delicately over her cheeks that had a fevered blush and her half-full lips looked as soft as rose petals, making her look extremely feminine though he knew otherwise. Despite her shallow breathing and occasional attacks of pain, she appeared so peaceful and innocent but he knew better…deep inside her flesh, where her soul lingered were dark secrets…terrible secrets that would take more than a simple key to unlock._

_He turned to Miroku to ask him how they might go about trying to talk to the girl once she's better in order to learn what she must know but stopped as he noticed that Miroku was no longer looking into he fire as if entranced by the flames like he usually did but instead at Sango, whose breathing had slowed in slumber._

_Miroku smiled and leaned over her and fondly pulled a strand of straight brown hair out of her face and behind her ear before tracing his fingers back over her high cheek bones to brush over her smooth pink lips. She sighed and smiled in her sleep, hand clinching her blanket as if in comfort. Such a look of longing came over his face; one of adoration, not lust as he eyes became softer as he looked at the object of his affections, her face so smooth and beautiful in the firelight. He forgot Inuyasha was even there until he spoke…_

_"So when are you going to tell her that you love her?" asked Inuyasha as he watched this moment with wary eyes with a touch of a smile of his lips. Even a baka like he was, after all the years they had been together, could figure out that they both wanted to be together. What he could really guess was why they were taking so long to tell one another._

_Miroku pulled back his hand as if he had touched a forbidden object; something so precious that it burned for him to even dream of it (or maybe he thought that she would wake up and kick his ass…no one is for sure.)_

_"I don't know what you mean." Miroku answered awkwardly, denying everything and putting everything behind his "monk face" or the expression he uses when he's completely serious and contemplating the meaning of life and whatnot. But he couldn't hide the emotions that played across his eyes: unrequited affections and fear of rejection that Inuyasha had come to recognize. it was the same gaze that Kagome gave him when she thought he wasn't watching._

_Inuyasha's heart ached for a moment, as if the memory of Kagome added a knife to the batch that plagued his soul but he shoved it away, as he had done with the others. He had a life to live after all and dwelling on things out of reach never solved anything. "I see the way you look at her. It's the same way she looks at you when you aren't looking." He said to Miroku, looking him in the eye squarely so that he captured his eyes to show Miroku that he was serious._

_"Really?" Miroku asked, his handsome face full of doubt but his voice held a certain feeling…hope, almost pleading. After a moment, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I thought she hated me…"_

_Inuyasha shook his head reassuringly, almost chuckling at his naivety. And this was the guy he talked to the most about women and how they think… where he gets most of his advice from! "Nah. She just does that to throw you off." Inuyasha glanced over at the boomerang that leaned against the cave wall, shuddering as all his old aches and pains from it resurfaced as if drawing from memories of being beaten. "Plus she hates how you act around other girls. She's really jealous."_

_"To tell you the truth," Miroku began and Inuyasha leaned forward with interest. "I've never really thought about other girls since I met her…she's enough woman to keep me happy to the rest of my life!" Miroku's face brightened up at this confession, small and well known it was, causing Inuyasha to roll his eyes. "You better act more like that then. She's waited for you this long but she won't wait forever."_

_Miroku nodded his head slowly, as if digesting his words before crawling over to curl up into his own sleeping bag (purple), not too far from Sango but far enough so that he wouldn't be invading her privacy. After a couple minutes, Inuyasha heard the rustling of his getting comfortable stop, with the end result being that he was far from the fire, but Sango was between he and it so Inuyasha supposed the Miroku felt it was worth it. He turned one more time, so that he was gazing into her face before finally settling down for the night. "You should take your own advice sometime Inuyasha." He told Inuyasha before letting out a huge yawn and within seconds his own breath slowed to match Sango as she slept, leaving Inuyasha to ponder his words._

* * *

And now here he was: eating stew, babysitting a cowardly Kitsune kit and a half dead, half sick girl who is one real puzzle. How could she forget something like that fight? Nearly dying would definitely make Inuyasha remember! And why doesn't she remember where she hid the shards and why, if she did, why wouldn't she tell him, the guy who happened to save her life? Also when he was rescuing her, she was kicking, biting, punching, struggling and cussing but this girl, as far as he could tell, nice, motherly, and sweet… not at all what he expected at all!

And then there was the whole '"what is she?" issue: is she a Youkai, Hanyou, or human and why couldn't he tell? AND WHERE IN THE HELL DID SHE HIDE THOSE DAMN JEWEL SHARDS?! It's just like they just vanished!

Inuyasha felt a head ache coming on. He hated it when he had time to think. He had so many problems and stuff to sort out that it hurt his head way to much! He much rather be in the heat of battle, where he relies mostly on instinct instead of thought and who could say no to a great victory! Talk about adrenaline rush!

Not to mention if the battle were at a certain Taiyoukai's castle and was done all in the name of saving a certain miko…

Inuyasha looked down at his precious sword, leaning against the cave wall and glittering prettily in the firelight. It was made from his father's fang (and one of his own), protected him countless times, helped him defeat his enemies, suppressed his demonic side…to him it was priceless, not to mention lethal in Sesshomaru's hands.

He glanced around for a moment, making sure that no one was watching before he reached into his shirt and pulled out a golden locket Kagome had given him a long time ago. He opened it up, the soft clicking of the latch making him watch Hitomi on the other side of the fire to make sure that she didn't choose to wake up and see him with his secret treasure. On one side of the heart-shaped necklace was a tiny "picture" of an excited Kagome hugging a very grumpy looking Inuyasha that she took with her "camera", but on the other side was a lone picture of her smiling sweetly, her blue eyes sparkling with laughter as she blushed in embarrassment. He ran a claw over the picture, his golden eyes getting deeply lost in her light blue ones…

She looked so much like Kikyo…

He closed the locket quickly and shoved it back underneath his shirt so that he wouldn't see it anymore. Deep down he knows he can't love both Kikyo and Kagome, but he still feels he owes Kikyo something… something to make up for all that had happened between them but all she wants is for him to go to Hell with her and she won't let him live a peaceful life if he doesn't.

He still loves the person she once was…the person Kagome is but isn't. He knows that instead of being a loner, like Kikyo was when she was alive, Kagome tends to attract people to her and makes friends fast…that instead of being mournful, she is happy…that instead of holding a grudge against him, she forgives him no matter what he does…

But he can't help but see Kikyo in Kagome. He finds Kikyo's old soul in her eyes…in her smile…in her love. He knows deep, deep down they are two different people but when Kagome's around he can't help but be reminded of the Kikyo that he loved so ferociously 50 years ago. And sometimes he sees flashes of the old Kikyo in the vengeful clay version of her now and then he wants to save her, for her to return to the way she was or move on.

Kikyo or Kagome…Kikyo or Kagome…Kikyo or Kagome…Kikyo or Kagome…Kikyo or Kagome…Kikyo or Kagome…

His head ache suddenly got worse and Shippo seemed to be on his way back. Apparently he didn't give him enough dishes to wash and now his has to put up with the Kit's new attitude toward the man who gave his "mother" away. Just perfect!

Shippo practically ran back from the river, carrying now clean dishes to find Inuyasha putting more wood on the fire in the shelter of the cave. Shippo nearly dropped his burden as he bolted to the cave to engulf himself in the warmth that radiated from the blazing fire. He gave the dishes Inuyasha, who screamed at him about his clumsiness, and sat down by the foot of Kagome's sleeping bag. He knew that Kagome wasn't in it right now but it made him feel better knowing he was by something of hers. He signed in loneness as he leaned against the sleeping bag's slick outer layer that was unoccupied by the restless sleeper it imprisoned

He crossed his arms stubbornly as he glowered at Inuyasha. He really missed his "mother". He was also mad that Inuyasha made him go wash dishes when the girl woke up! He knew because there was a bowl of partially eaten ramen and a cup of water by her and he had been gone for almost an hour. He wanted to meet her! Maybe she was nice like Kagome, even though nobody could replace her Shippo felt like he needed a friend to protect him from his other "friend", Inuyasha.

Shippo glared at Inuyasha, who was sitting with his back to the fire, lost in thought. Shippo was still mad at Inuyasha for the whole "compromise" with Sesshomaru. Now he was Kagome-less all because Sesshomaru was greedy and Inuyasha was stupid! Tears almost came to his eyes. He hasn't seen Kagome for a week and a day. That is the longest that he went without Kagome in four years. He knew Inuyasha is thinking the same thing.

Suddenly the figure beside him stirred causing Shippo to cry out and jump up surprised. Inuyasha angrily glanced over at Shippo and threw a pebble at him that smacked his head. "Give it a rest will ya kid. It's only the girl waking up." Inuyasha growled grumpily, turning his back to the young kit.

Shippo rubbed the sore spot on his head and ha opened his mouth to retort when he saw a chopstick fly at Inuyasha and hit him in his temple. Inuyasha yelped in surprise and turned, immediately eyeing the girl, who looked up at him innocently.

"What was that for?!" he demanded, resisting the urge to poke her eye with the damn thing. Hitomi just smiled sweetly. "You shouldn't treat children like that." She said softly as she gently patted Shippo's head, making him grin. Inuyasha, realizing that it was futile, threw the chopstick behind his back and managed to barely stifle a groan. Great, I've got another motherly girl on my hands.

When he looked up again, little Shippo was by the girl's side, shaking excitedly as the girl smiled at him and giggled at the way he acted. Shippo sighed as he saw how beautiful her smile was. She looked nice enough… She'll make a good friend!

"Hi! My name is Shippo!"

Inuyasha glared as the kit made himself acquainted with "Hitomi". Inuyasha wanted to throw that girl out into the cold but he knew better. If he wanted information out of her, her being a woman and all, he's going to have to do what he hates most: talk about his feelings and stuff like that so that she will willingly talk about hers. Kagome taught him that.

Inuyasha watched as Shippo began feeding Hitomi soup and she laughed weakly when he spilled it all over himself in the process. Inuyasha didn't trust this person, like usual, one way or another and he will find out what he needs to know!

Another chopstick hit him in the head and as he glared, Hitomi and Shippo pointed to one another before they burst out laughing.

If he didn't kill her first.

* * *

Sesshomaru wrung out a cool rag before applying it to his still sore eyes. Of course, as he predicted, they were still red and swollen at almost midday. As Kagome previously suggested, the cooling cloths did help with the irritation and his eyes feel better after a couple hours which sort of miffed the part of his mind that hated her knowing more about something than he but that was overpowered by the relief that the rest of him felt. In fact, Kagome had mentioned that in "her village" they use that kind of potion to incapacitate potential attackers, and that the red eye irritation is intentionally that way so that the greasy composition will stay in the skin around the eyes so they may be able to identify the attacker for at least 24 hours. He would like to find the moron who invented "pepper spray" and shove a bottle down his throat. Kagome did also say that because he was demon it probably would only last a couple of hours, especially if he kept washing his face.

Well it's been about 8 hours already and according to mirror they were still pink. Maybe they'll be better before he leaves…

There was a very timid knock on the door. Sesshomaru didn't even bother to take of the rag covering his eyes and continued to lounge on his pile of pillows in his study like a huge cat as he waved to the invisible person he knew was outside the door. "Come in Ruri." There was no point in pretending because she could figure it out anyway if she wanted to. Plus she was one of the only people that he knew he could trust. Being outcast makes a great servant and confident. Not that he goes completely overboard with that fact but more than he shows anybody else with the exception of Rin.

He didn't hear the door slide open nor did he hear her footsteps on the floor but neither did he expect to since she could phase through walls but he knew she was there. Her scent of wet earth in a cool cave flooded the room and it seemed as if the temperature itself dropped a couple of degrees. Her breathing was faint, like the whisper of winds and without even looking, he knew that she fallen gracefully to her knees and put her head on the ground in a traditional bow, waiting for his bidding.

He closed his eyes under the cloth. She was like a salve to his bruised and battered pride that Kagome seemed to have her heart out to crush completely. It was nice to be respected after he had been humiliated by a hanyou, even if it wasn't known the public.

"I have called you here because I have an assignment for you." He started, not bothering with small talk and he resisted the urge to smile because this was going to piss Kagome off so bad. "I would like for you to be Kagome's…guide and servant while she stays with us." He stated calmly and confidently. Good thing he was going away for a day or so and hopefully when he gets back, she'll have gotten used to the idea. Slim chance but better than none he supposed.

Ruri said nothing for a while and then spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. "If I may be so bold to ask Milord but you wish for me to attempt to contain the girl? Try to keep her from doing things that you disapprove of as well as prevent the others from harming her?"

Sesshomaru grinned and by grin it was meant that one side of his mouth was raised the slightest bit for a second or two before fading back into his regular expression when you blinked so that you questioned if the event really happened or not. "That would be the general idea. And I find that you are the only person that I could trust this kind of job with. You have the ability to possibly relate to her in ways that none of the other demons can and protect her from anything that wished her harm, demon and human alike."

He removed the cloth from his eyes, blinked a few times and sat up, gazing down at the shadow youkai before him. "I give you my permission to use whatever methods that are in your power to accomplish this task as well as servicing Kagome needs and wants." He paused and then added "within reason," as an afterthought. Can't have Kagome ordering Ruri to do anything reckless like summon Inuyasha with her mind, despite the previous agreements made with both of them.

She smiled a little, showing little white fangs. "Yes Milord." She murmured before humbly lowering her gaze. He leaned forward, intrigued . "I believe that is the first time I've seen you smile in the slightest. And what do you find so amusing about this conversation?"

The smile stayed in place as Yuri rose, like smoke rising from a flame in one fluid burst of motion. "No offense meant Milord. I just noticed that you were referring her to her given name now." The smile faded. "And in what way should I greet my new charge? I assume that you want me to break the news in a specific way?"

Sesshomaru looked at her for a while, deep in thought and decided to let that comment about calling Kagome by her name slide before answering, "I suppose the best way to introduce yourself would be your name and the title 'Keeper'. That will suffice." He didn't need anything too fancy to set her off. The mere fact that he was having someone supervise her will make her livid. He waved her away and Ruri nodded, taking the dismissal and almost gliding as she stood and walked toward the wall in the direction of the room.

"And when she gets here, tell her that I will be gone for a day or two to investigate the conditions of one of the forts that protect my border on the South side."

Ruri nodded again and then walked through the wall, becoming nothing but a shadow that disappeared within seconds, leaving no trace of her arrival or departure. At this point, Jaken now decided to make an appearance, coming in from the hall, and, having already been informed of his master's rather immediate endeavor, he had come to prepare to temporarily take his place: which meant basically doing more paperwork to his apparent distain.

"Lord Sesshomaru, what did you mean by the phrase 'when she gets here, tell her I'll be gone'?" he asked in that annoying, nails-on-chalkboard voice, almost making Sesshomaru visibly wince. Well he had obviously been eavesdropping but when his retainer realized this and was about to shriek an eternal line of apology, Sesshomaru cut him short with a glare. No need to ruin his good mood with all the horrible noises Jaken makes. One of these days, he's serious going to rip out that thing's vocal cords…Sesshomaru stood and began assembling his armor and sword, preparing for his departure. Oh hell, he might as well tell him. Someone has to be here to tell the girl that Sesshomaru was getting better at calculating her.

"Because, if my predictions are correct, if Kagome is asleep, which I assume she is due to the late night she had, Ruri will hover over her until she rouses because she will detect her youkai aura. Next, after Ruri delivers my message, Kagome will howl my name as loud as she is physically capable and most likey with as many curses as she knows, and come stalking around out for my blood, now that she's more familiar with the grounds. It won't take long for her to arrive at the study because that will be the most logical place for me to be and her demonic senses will be heightened slightly since she's angry and she'll probably smell me out. Then, she'll burst into the room expecting to see me but will instead encounter Ruri, who will explain that I have gone for a while, and you, who will explain how I was able to foresee all this happening." And manage to be gone to avoid the blunt force of her wrath, he thought while snickering to himself.

Jaken just stared at him, toad mouth wide and eyes bulging, as his lord gently opened the large window to the study and sat on the edge, welcoming the cool winter day breeze through his hair and on his sore eyes. He had managed to use a method to control her without violating his contract with her and now he has a prefect excuse to be absent during the temper tantrum she was likely to throw. He inhaled the crisp cool hair deeply. Kami it was a good day!

"Y-you're smiling!" Jaken gawked, pointing at his Lord's handsome face. "You really enjoy playing all these mind games with that filthy human!"

The smile, the genuine smile that Sesshomaru wasn't aware that was on his face, disappeared in a flash to turn into an outraged glare that he aimed at Jaken, who immediately cowered in fear, covering his face with his hands as to prepare for the physical damage that was to come. Sesshomaru opened his mouth to tell Jaken that maybe he had too many privileges and too much free time if he thought that this Lord of the Western Lands was actually lenient enough to let that kind of behavior pass in his presence but then…

"SESSHOMARU! YOU SON OF A BITCH! WHERE DO YOU GET OFF GIVING ME A 'KEEPER'?! WHERE ARE YOU, YOU POMPOUS ASSHOLE?! I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU A NEW ONE WHEN I FOUND YOU!"

Right on time. Sesshomaru didn't know what a 'new one' was but he doubted that he would enjoy it. Let others deal with her rage until he got back.

By the time, Jaken had worked up the courage to peek between his haori sleeves to see what Sesshomaru was planning to do as his punishment, Sesshomaru was gone. With in seconds after that realization, Jaken felt a cool presence to one side of him, as if he had suddenly stepped into the shade on a hot summer day, and looked up to find Yuri standing next to him, perfectly poised as she waited patiently.

The next time he blinked, Kagome was standing in the study doorway and gripping the frame with her claws as if ready to spring into action, wearing her strange attire that she slept in with her long hair wildly escaping her braid, breathing hard but whether it was from the run over here or the fact that she showed boundless rage, Jaken couldn't tell. It made his blood freeze in his veins.

She was scary that's for sure.

Her eyes searched the room, rested on Ruri for a moment, and finally on Jaken, who had become nervous, shaking in his robes. Her eyes narrowed, as she stood up straight and crossed her hearts, towering over him menacingly.

"Well? Where is he? I know he was here last. I can smell him." She said softly in a low voice, using the tone that Jaken knew meant death if he gave her an inappropriate answer. Jaken began to sweat. Now he was the filthy human's chew toy now as well. His miserable day was getting better and better.


End file.
